


Soft Fur, Soft Heart

by circuscrow



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Champion Shiro (Voltron), Dismemberment, Epigenetics, Escape, Galra Shiro (Voltron), Healing, Imprisonment, Isolation, M/M, Minor Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Past Sendak/Shiro, Sexual Content, Two Cocks, Xenophilia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2019-09-26 15:37:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17144462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/circuscrow/pseuds/circuscrow
Summary: "The princess was wrong. The Red Lion didn’t respond to him. He called for it until the Galra came. Still it did not respond when he opened the airlock and was ejected into space. It remained unresponsive as he was dragged back inside to atone for his transgressions. Keith was not the Red Paladin."After failing to awaken the Red Lion, Keith is captured and taken prisoner by the Galra. To his surprise, his cellmate is far kinder than he ever expected a Galra to be.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Galra Shiro started blowing up on twitter and this WIP suddenly became very relevant. So here is my offering to the fandom. I'm also going to attempt smut again so apologies in advanced. 
> 
> Keep note that this fic is not rated and not all the tags are listed yet, if you have any concerns about what's going to happen, don't be afraid to ask, I 1000% understand. If you want to know but don't want to ask, just know I have a soft marshmallow heart and I highly doubt I'll be touching on anything even remotely dark. Basically everything I write for vld is about soft healing and love.

The princess was wrong. The Red Lion didn’t respond to him. He called for it until the Galra came. Still it did not respond when he opened the airlock and was ejected into space. It remained unresponsive as he was dragged back inside to atone for his transgressions. Keith was not the Red Paladin.

Instead of safely meeting back up with his team, he was being roughly dragged through dark corridors lined with prison cells. They had beaten him, stripped him of his armor and shoved him into ratty prison clothes. He had no idea where his bayard was. “Take him to the Champion,” they said. “Let’s see what he does to him.” Any other time, Keith would be burning with defiance. They think the Champion can hurt him, it’s the other way around, he’s the one they should worry about. But he was unarmed. His head was throbbing where he was slammed into the floor. He’s pretty sure his leg was broken, too. If this Champion followed through on whatever these Galra were expecting, Keith didn’t think he would last long.

They finally stopped at one of the cell doors, and a deep, menacing growl greeted them when it opened.

“Better get the cleaning crew on standby, he’s already riled up.”

And gracelessly, Keith was tossed inside and the door slammed shut. Pain pulsed throughout his body as he hit the floor like a ragdoll. So focused on his own body, he didn’t realize the growling stopped. He looked up, and in the dim light he saw an enormous Galra crouched to attack.

Keith tensed and tried to sit up, to be any kind of on guard. Just one of his claws could rip him in half. He could probably even do it accidentally, they were so big. But, on second glance, they were chained. Heavy, metal shackles bound his hands together. His fur was rubbed off at his wrists, revealing that his skin was both raw and scarred from constant wear. He looked up further. A matching muzzle was fixed to his face, the skin showing equal damage as his wrists.

The Champion was a prisoner as well.

A prisoner to his own people.

Neither moved for a long time, both maintaining eye contact and Keith pretending he’d put up a good fight. The Champion’s tail swayed slowly behind him, his ears pricked to Keith’s every sound.

A cat.

He looked like a purple cat.

Keith would laugh if he didn’t think he was about to die.

“I won’t attack you if you don’t attack me.”

It was jarring at first, the Champion’s voice. Perhaps Keith didn’t expect such a beast to talk, with growls and roaring being sufficient communication. But instead his voice was soft, a little rough from disuse, but nice all the same. It gave Keith the impression that he might have a good  singing voice.

Focus. It wasn’t the time to be thinking that. “What?”

“We don’t have to fight, we’re not in the arena. We could just not, if we don’t want to.” Maybe it was Keith's wistful imagination, but he sounded genuine.

“How do I know you’re not trying to trick me?”

The Champion held his gaze for a few moments longer, and then he sat down. He neatly folded his hands in his lap, as best as he could with the shackles, and curled his tail around himself. As if to make himself seem smaller, he slouched down as much as he could. It didn’t help, it was almost comical how much space the Galra took up despite his best efforts. But Keith read the sentiment loud and clear.

It’s not like Keith could mirror the gesture, seeing as he was still mostly in a heap on the ground, but he relaxed, forcing the tension to leave his muscles as he found a more comfortable position on the ground. What could he do in his condition anyway?

“Are you injured?”

“I think my leg is broken,” Keith answered on a sigh.

“If you don’t mind me coming closer, I could set it for you.”

“Are you a doctor?”

“No, but I’ve done it many times. To myself and others. … They won’t send anyone else to help you.”

What choice did he really have. “Fine.”

The Champion shuffled closer, keeping himself small as Keith offered his injured leg.

His hands were gentle at first and slowly he started adding more pressure as he felt the condition of the bone. Keith was barely paying attention until pain wracked his body, exploding below his knee and splintering out. He screamed.

When Keith came back to himself, he heard the ripping of fabric. His tearfilled eyes slipped open and rolled to the Champion. He had removed his shirt, leaving him in only his skin tight bodysuit, and he was tearing it into ribbons with his teeth. Keith silently observed as he gently wrapped them around his leg. “There isn’t anything for a proper brace, but some padding should help more than nothing. Hopefully you can stay off it until it’s healed.”

“Why wouldn’t I? This is just prison, right?” Keith was still breathing heavy and was a little too focused on his own pain.

“You don’t know where you are, do you?” the Champion asked, not without sympathy.

Keith merely shook his head.

“You’re in the Empire’s Central Command System. The prisoners in this cell block are used as gladiators for Galran entertainment.”

Something cold settled in Keith’s stomach. “You fight here?”

“Yeah…” The response was too soft for what it was implying. This Galra, who talked them out of a fight, who was tending to his leg, who spoke with such a gentle voice, he was a fighter. A gladiator. He was even called Champion. The Galra he was seeing and the truths that were coming together in his mind, they didn’t match up.

Grey eyes surrounded by yellow sclera looked back at him sadly. “You’re afraid of me.” It was a simple statement weighted with resignation. “I won’t hurt you, as long as I have a choice.”

“What about when you don’t?” Keith asked tightly.

“I don’t think about that. That’s why I’m alone, now.” The Champion takes a deep breath and sighs tiredly. “Is this torture? Are they doing this again? Is that why you’re here?”

It sounded rhetorical. At least Keith hoped it was because he didn’t have an answer. The silence was oppressive. Keith inhaled deeply through his nose, trying to calm his racing heart. Could the Champion hear it with those big ears? He wouldn’t be surprised. What were Galra senses like? Maybe he could smell his fear.

Would the Champion kill him once they were out of this cell?

Or would Keith kill the Champion? Would that make him the new Champion?

“Right. Let’s not think about this.” Whatever happens, he’s right, thinking about it _was_ a kind of torture. Instead he extended his hand. He was still laying down so it was at an awkward angle. “My name’s Keith.”

The Champion looked startled as he glanced between Keith’s face and his hand. Instead of taking his hand, he grasped his forearm. “Shiro.”

Keith gave a small smile. He didn’t know if it was genuine or not, but he was grateful that his cellmate was Shiro and not something more unkindly.

“Rest. You need to heal. I’ll wake you if something happens.” Something about the way he said it made it sound like a promise, that watching over Keith was personally important to him.

Against all odds, Keith felt safe.

  


Keith woke up before he was fully rested and he was _freezing_ . Living his whole life in the desert, Keith had no tolerance for the cold. _Why_ was he so cold? And uncomfortable? Where was he?

He cracked open an eye to be met with dimly lit, unfamiliar surroundings, a small metal room. There was only one other occupant.

Shiro.

The memories came back. He was filled with dread.

“You’re awake.” Shiro’s voice was just as soft and gentle as it was before. His face was drawn in worry. “Are you alright? Do you feel any pain?”

“Just cold,” Keith mumbled, trying to hide his shivers. Maybe he’d die of hypothermia before he ever had to fight, or worse.

“Heating the prison cells isn’t a big concern here,” Shiro murmured in agreement. “Sorry, they don’t give us any blankets.”

“It’s okay. I figured as much.”

“If you like-” Shiro cleared his throat uncomfortably. He was looking everywhere except Keith and his ears were twitching wildly. “If you don’t mind… I could keep you warm?”

“What?”

“I mean.” Shiro was getting more fidgety with each word. “Laying on the metal floor. It’s cold, right? I could hold you. It might be better…”

Keith eyed Shiro. He really did look like a cat, and he was furry like one, too. Shiro probably didn’t feel the cold at all. As much as Keith didn’t like touching other people, he disliked being cold even more. “Alright,” he agreed.

Shiro looked almost startled by Keith’s answer. Maybe he didn’t think Keith would actually agree. Keith didn’t think he would actually agree. With a curt nod, Shiro shuffled over to where he was laying. Keith hadn’t moved from here he initially landed from when he was tossed in the cell, so even just the idea of moving and changing position sounded nice. It was awkward with Shiro’s shackles, and Keith had to do some maneuvering to protect his leg, but soon he was seated in Shiro’s lap as if he were on a throne.

“Comfortable?”

Keith shifted a little. God, Shiro really was enormous, Keith felt absolutely tiny fitted to him like this. But it felt right. It felt safe. Most importantly, Shiro felt warm. Shiro was like his own personal furnace. “Yeah.”

“Do you think you can fall back to sleep like this?”

Keith settled back further. “Yeah.”

Shiro’s chained hands looped in front of him and held him close, and somehow Keith didn’t mind. “Go to sleep now.”

“Thank you, Shiro.”

  


The next time Keith woke up, it was to growling. He was immediately on guard, but large arms shielded him. A hand rubbed against his cheek to soothed him ever so slightly. Keith felt protected.

This time, Keith was more aware when he woke. Shiro was still holding him from when he last fell asleep. Eyes were peering at them through a slot in the door, the target of Shiro’s aggression. Keith could just barely hear whoever they were talking. It was too hard to make out what they were saying over Shiro’s growling, but they sounded disappointed in something. Perhaps they didn’t like that Shiro was protecting Keith instead of killing him.

Through another slot, this one on the floor, a tray slid inside. Food? No way, that was not food. It was slimy and black with an oily sheen to it, and it filled the cell with a rotten scent. Keith cringed. What were they supposed to do what that?

The eyes were still staring at them, and Keith still heard them talking, expecting something. Finally, Shiro’s growls crescendo. A bone shaking roar rips through his body. Keith felt it reverberating through his own body. Looking at Shiro like this, it was easy to see him as Champion. But Keith wasn’t in danger, he was being protected. From what, he wasn't entirely sure. Despite being held prisoner in the heart of enemy territory, Keith felt safe. He pressed closer to Shiro.

The staring eyes radiated displeasure, but soon the slot slid closed, leaving them alone once more. Shiro was still on edge, so Keith gave into a whim of his own. Deliberately, he reached up to scratch at Shiro’s ear. Shiro flinched, but did not pull away. Instead he looked down at Keith, confused at first. But then he closed his eyes and held him closer. Keith half expected him to purr. “They’re gone now,” he murmured. “Thank you.”

Keith didn’t know how long they stayed like that, Shiro holding him closely as if he were someone to be cherished and Keith petting him with the same kindness. How starved for a gentle touch was Shiro that he would cuddle up to a complete stranger. He was starting to get the impression that all this closeness was more for Shiro's sake than his own.

“You should eat,” Shiro said, breaking Keith out of his thoughts and reaching for the tray.

“I’m supposed to eat that? It’s food?” How could he even stomach food that looked like that, let alone smelled so rancid.

“Yeah, unfortunately,” Shiro lamented. “It’s … it’s bad. Really bad, but you get used to it.” He placed the tray in Keith’s lap and pressed a strange utensil in his hand, it reminded Keith of a giant popsicle stick.

Rather than return to its resting place, Shiro’s large hand found its way to Keith’s head, petting him softly, similar to how Keith was petting him just a minute ago. It was strange, being taken care of like this. No one had been so gentle with Keith since his dad died. It was unusual. But it was nice.

Keith gagged the moment he got a taste of that vile sludge, reflexively spitting it back on the tray. He had to resist the urge to dry heave it was so foul. How was he going to eat this? It tasted worse than roadkill. Shiro was behind him, apologizing for what Keith knew he couldn’t help and patting his back. He had to eat this stuff _every day_? Keith supposed he had to do it now, too.

Holding his breath and trying not to think about it too much, he choked down as much as the “food” as he could manage. It wasn’t that much. When it started to make him feel nauseous, Keith set down the utensil and pushed away the tray.

“You should try to eat some more, you need the energy to heal,” Shiro tried to persuade.

“I can’t, I feel sick.” Keith started analyzing what was a good place to throw up in case he had to.

Shiro frowned but took the tray all the same. “Alright. You’re not accustomed to it. It’s fine. You can try again later.” He made to hide the tray out of sight of the slot in the door when he paused. After a moment of deliberation he plucked up the utensil and wiped it off as best as he could on his bodysuit. “Here, let me see your leg again.”

Without moving Keith from his lap, Shiro rewrapped his leg, using the utensil as a brace. “You’re so small, so this should be fine. Is it too tight?”

“No.”

“Too loose?”

“It’s good.”

“How long does it take for your species to heal broken bones?”

“A few weeks. Six, I think.” That might have been too short, it felt longer that one time he broke his arm.

Shiro looked oddly bewildered. Was that time frame too short? “How long is a ‘week’?”

“Oh. Uh…” How do aliens keep time? “Seven days?”

His answer didn’t seem to help Shiro.

With a sigh, he answered. “It’s a while. Probably longer than I have before…” He trailed off. Voicing his future in the arena felt like resignation, that it would make it inevitable.

Maybe the others would come rescue them before that. They could, right?

But why would they? They were in a war, he was a failed paladin, and he was being held prisoner in what was probably the most heavily fortified part of the Empire. He didn’t even know these Garrison cadets, maybe they’d risk it if was one of the others, but not for him. He was just a stranger to them, the weirdo who brought them to the Blue Lion. The smart thing would be to forget about him completely and find someone else to pilot the Red Lion. That’s what a paladin would do.

“I’m going to die here, aren’t I?” As much as Shiro’s kindness had sheltered him from this reality, he was finally seeing the truth for what it was. Keith’s throat tightened and his eyes stung with tears.

Shiro didn’t have a response for him, he just held him closer. A wordless apology.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so clever, using the exact same joke I did in my last fic. Ha ha I'm just so funny.
> 
> Your comments and kudos are appreciated <3
> 
> [main tumblr](https://circuscrow.tumblr.com/), where I can be reached most reliably
> 
> [sheith/voltron tumblr](https://circuscrow-in-space.tumblr.com/), if you just want sheiths
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/circuscrovv/), where I basically just retweet salt
> 
> [pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/circuscrow/), which I'm still learning but enjoying


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe how much support you guys have given me just from the first chapter! Your comments and kudos were a major driving force for this chapter getting finished so quickly! I am just over the moon, I hope this chapter is a good follow up.
> 
> Keep in mind, that this is a "tags update as I go" kind of fic, just because I don't know what needs to be tagged until I write it. Sorry, I know that's inconvenient for you, but I'm trying my best. This chapter features a panic attack.

“What’s it like? In the arena?” Keith asked quietly. They spent the better part of the last hour in complete silence as Keith did his best not to cry. Eventually he did cry. What was the point of holding it in, anyway? Shiro knew exactly what Keith was going through whether he expressed it or not and there was no point in bolstering his own ego when he was locked in a place like this. It left him with a headache and wanting to take a nap. He felt like he was sleeping too much, but he had no way to know how much time had passed since he’s been here, asleep or awake. There was no way to keep time outside his own head and it’s not like Shiro could help him out, not knowing how to tell time in a way Keith could understand. It was disorienting. Everything since he’d been captured had been disorienting.

Shiro’s big hand gently rubbed at Keith’s head again, smoothing his hair, and he murmured, “You don’t need to know that.”

“Yes I do,” Keith argued. “If I’m going to have to fight, I have to know what I’ll be fighting.”

Shiro’s ears drooped and he held Keith just a little bit closer, as if he could keep him away from the arena. But Keith made a good point. Sooner or later he’d be brought to the arena and expected to entertain. “The arena is large. You’ll have plenty of room to move around, and there are four pillars you can use as cover. Sometimes you are given a weapon. It depends on what the most wanted outcome is.”

“The fights are rigged?”

Shiro gave a tired sigh. “Of course. It’s all about who’s there that day and whether they want to see a good fight or a bloody one. Best case scenario is when you’re given a weapon and an opponent who isn’t sapient. Those are popular fights. But sometimes you’ll be fighting other prisoners. Those … It’s best not to dwell on those.”

“What kinds of prisoners do they keep here?”

It felt less like Shiro was holding Keith and more like he was leaning on him for support. “Resistance fighters. Criminals. Aliens at the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyone is fair game to them if they think they’ll make an entertaining fight.”

Keith wrapped his arms around Shiro’s forearm and held him close, loosening his grip when he felt a small, suppressed cringe. “Sorry. I guess it’s hard to talk about.”

“It’s alright. You need to know.” Shiro sounded so resigned.

“How long have you been here?”

“I don’t know. It’d been a deca-phoeb last time I checked, and it’s been awhile since I’ve wanted to check again.”

“Sorry.” Keith murmured, rubbing soothing circles where the shackles tore at scarred skin. “I won’t ask anymore.”

“It’s alright.”

“If you’ve been here for at least a … deca-poeb,” Keith didn’t actually know what that meant, “What do you do when you’re not fighting?”

Shiro hummed and gave a shrug. “Meditate, physical activity. Sleep is important but it’s essential to stay disciplined on how much.”

“How do you meditate?”

  
  


For some reason, it still surprised Keith. He knew what Shiro was used for, but he never thought about what it would be like for Shiro to be taken from their cell. Keith still didn’t know for sure how long he’d been here. A couple of days at most? There was no way to tell. Thus far, he had adapted Shiro’s philosophy of not thinking about the future, but it left him wholly unprepared when something happened.

There was no prior warning when the cell door was opened. Before Keith could even take in what was going on, Shiro all but threw him out of his lap. When Keith finally got a good look, he was horrified by how  _ violent _ it was. Something was looped tightly around Shiro’s neck that was dragging him out of the cell and a pole was hooked to the chains of his shackles. All the while, Shiro snarled in protest. Weapons were poised to shoot if Shiro was deemed too unruly.

Outrage boiled inside Keith, nearly driving him to tear the Galra off Shiro. Before he could make a move Shiro glanced back at Keith, his gentle eyes filled with more emotion than Keith was prepared to analyze, and then in the next instant, the cell door was shut once again.

Keith was alone.

Shiro was on his way to the arena and Keith didn’t know if he would come back.

The cell immediately felt colder. Even before Keith took up residence on Shiro’s lap, the cell was at least warmed by the Galra’s body heat. Now there was nothing. Only Keith in the small, metal cell. Shiro might not come back…

No, he couldn’t think about that. He needed to stay in the moment and not think about what may or may not happen. Cold, the cell was cold. What can Keith do about that?

Keith should be used people not coming back. After his mom left. After his dad died. After the string of foster families that he never saw again. The people in his life weren’t permanent.

_ Stop _ thinking about that.

Keith stripped off his outer shirt. It was threadbare and barely did anything for him while he wore it, but it’d have to do. He folded it and set it on the ground as a makeshift cushion. The more of a barrier he could make between himself and the cold metal, the better.

Even the Garrison cadets. Keith didn’t even know them, and he knew for a fact that at least the loud one didn’t like him. What’s his name, Lars? His friends probably agreed with him. Keith was used to people not liking him, but these guys were literally the only ones who knew where he was. As it stood, they were better off without Keith.

_ Stop thinking  _ about that.

Keith shivered. The shirt offered little difference in temperature. He’d probably freeze to death before Shiro even came back. If he came back. What was he supposed to do in the cold? The heat Keith could manage, but dealing with the cold was impossible.

If Shiro came back, he’d be injured. Keith was certain of it. He’d need to help him. But there wasn’t anything he could use. His leg was tied to an alien spoon for crying out loud, there wasn’t anything to help Shiro with.

_ Stop thinking about that _ .

Keith brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them tightly. His chest is what he had to keep warm, right? Then why’d he take his damn shirt off? He had no idea what to do in the cold. Any time the desert dropped anywhere close to this, he’d be holed up in his shack, or at least had a jacket on. He wanted to go home.

_ Stop fucking thinking about that. _

He was never going home.

Fuck.

Having Shiro around was such a crutch. Without him, Keith was breaking down in no time at all.

His tears just made his face feel colder.

  
  


It was hours. Maybe a whole day. But Shiro did come back.

The doors opened suddenly, as they do, and the Galra was roughly deposited on the floor. Released from his restraints but still shackled and muzzled, the door was quickly shut once more before he could make a move.

“Shiro!” Keith called out to him and scrambled over without jostling his leg too much.

He was awake, but neither responded nor moved from his position. Shiro laid face down, his one arm was sprawled out and his other was tucked awkwardly by his side. Small open wounds covered Shiro’s body, but they looked clean and tended to. When he looked closer, he noticed stitching holding together anything larger. His body suit wasnt ripped, but that didn’t mean anything, it could be a new one given to him after being patched up. His overshirt was new, no less ratty than his first one, but new all the same. Fresh blood dripped from where the muzzle met his nose, his wrists were in the same condition from his shackles. They looked like the only untreated injuries he had.

“Shiro?” Keith said, nearly a whisper. “Shiro, are you alright?”

“Not really.” The response was so quiet, Keith almost mistook it for breathing.

“What do you need?” 

“Just. Give me a minute.” The defeat in Shiro’s voice was heartbreaking. It was a bad fight. Keith wanted to know, but he already knew not to ask.

Keith sighed in sympathy and nodded. He took a deep breath, trying to slow his heartbeat. It’d do no good to let Shiro see how bad off he was, being left alone for only a few hours. Shiro needed him now, Keith couldn’t keep focusing on himself. Doing his best to suppress the shaking in his hands, he rubbed Shiro’s back, being mindful of his injuries. It was subtle, but Shiro relaxed ever so slightly. It wasn’t a lot, but some improvement was better than none.

Shiro finally shifted to his side and his blank stare shifted to concern when he saw Keith. It made him wonder how he looked, there were no mirrors, after all. Keith’s eyes felt puffy and raw, his nose was still running, even his cheeks held their dampness. He had to have looked a mess.

“Are you alright?” Shiro’s voice was so quiet it was nearly a whisper.

“Don’t worry about me, you’re the one who’s hurt.”

Shiro sat up anyway. He reached out to tenderly wipe away a few remaining tears. Keith wanted to deny they were there, that having Shiro gone left him too vulnerable to his own mind, but Shiro was already picking him up. It was Shiro that needed attention, not Keith.

“You’re shaking. Are you cold?”

Keith’s body answered for him. The moment he felt his radiating body heat, he clung to Shiro and nuzzled closer. It was mostly involuntary, but another part of Keith that he’d never admit to having needed to hold the Galra, to remind him that he wasn’t alone and that he was his companion in this hell.

“Sorry I left you.”

Keith barely let him finish.

“Don’t you ever apologize for that. Not to me.” He felt Shiro flinch at the sharpness of his voice. Forcing himself to calm down, he reached up to cup Shiro’s jaw, stroking his cheek. “Nothing about this is your fault. It’s all on them. Anything you do here, even just leaving me. You don’t need forgiveness for that.  _ Especially  _ not that.”

The same emotions played behind Shiro’s eyes as when he was taken out of the cell. Sadness. Fear. Shame. Loss. Grief. It made Keith’s throat tightened with the force of it. Keith was hurting, being held prisoner like this, and Shiro had felt this same hurt for who knows how long. The strength it took to survive like this was immeasurable.

“Are you alright?” Keith asked again.

Shiro looked away, ears down. He tightened his arm holding Keith. “No…” His voice was so quiet that Keith almost didn’t hear it.

Keith sat up further to wrap his arms around Shiro’s neck. Ever so gently, he guided Shiro to rest his head on his shoulder. One hand moved up to comb his fingers through the short dark hair on Shiro’s head. Keith kept his movements slow and soft. He didn’t know when the last time someone touched Shiro with kindness, and he didn’t want to give him any reason to fear Keith’s own touch. “I know I can’t fix anything, but let me be here for you, like you are for me.” He felt Shiro’s breath hitch but there were no tears, not like with Keith. “I want to help you Shiro, even when all I can do is hold you like this.”

“Yeah.” Shiro’s voice was thick with emotion, and Keith thought that perhaps he could hear a bit of gratitude. “Okay.”

It was just a small whim, but Keith placed a soft kiss just above Shiro’s big, fluffy ear.

Keith’s eyes began heating up with tears again, but Shiro’s remained dry.

_ Could Galra cry?  _ Keith wondered. Somehow, it felt sadder if they couldn’t.

They stayed like that for a long time, holding each other tenderly, offering and taking the comfort they desperately needed. It was easy to imagine that Shiro would be just as physically affectionate outside this cell. That he gave hugs freely and never shied away from affectionate contact. He was so soft to Keith, there wasn’t any other way to see him.

Keith cleared his throat, mostly to distract himself from his own thoughts. He shouldn’t think of that. Pulling away slightly to look at Shiro directly. His eyelids hung low in exhaustion, Keith was suddenly unsure if he’d seen Shiro sleep since he got here. There was a thin trickle of blood coming from a cut just above his eye. The worst of the damage was on the bridge of his nose where the muzzle rubbed against damaged skin. They probably removed it and his shackles for the fight, and put the back on to throw him back in here, reopening raw wounds that never had a chance to heal.

Leaning back, Keith picked up his discarded shirt and wadded it up. Wordlessly, he wiped away the blood that was dripping into Shiro’s eye. He tried his best to avoid the actual cut, he had no idea how clean this shirt or the cell floor it was just resting on was, he didn’t want to accidentally give Shiro an infection. “I wish I could take that muzzle off of you… Is there anything I can do to make it a little more bearable?”

Keith just barely made out the timid smile behind the bars. Shiro seemed to like having someone take care of him, filling Keith with no small amount of pride. “No. I’m used to it by now.”

What would Shiro look like with a real smile? One that reached his eyes and was entirely unobstructed from view? In his mind’s eye, Shiro had a sunny smile, one that could make even the dreariest of days brighter. Somewhere, deep inside a small corner of his heart, Keith wanted to be the reason for it. In this tender moment, it was difficult not to think about that.

“What about your arm? Is that okay? You’ve been favoring it since you got back,” Keith asked softly. The arm in question was wrapped around Keith like it’s mate, but stiffly, and it wasn’t being held in a natural, comfortable position, not that Keith could see.

“Oh. That one always hurts. It’s fine,” Shiro answered, his voice wooden. At the attention, he moved it lower, more to rest on his knee than to hold Keith.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“I don’t know, I think I broke it or something not long after I got here. It didn’t heal right.”

Keith turned to face the arm. Briefly, he marveled at how huge it was. His biceps alone put Keith’s wildest fantasies to shame. Pushing that thought aside, he noted that the arm  _ looked _ fine. Keith reached out to lightly touch it and he couldn’t tell if Shiro flinched out of instinct or actual pain, so he moved his touched higher. When Shiro seemed more comfortable, Keith massaged the muscles as carefully as he could manage.

The response was instantaneous. Shiro sagged over him as he let out a strange gurgling noise. His ears twitched wildly and even his tail started bouncing. Keith let out a soft chuckled. “You like that, don’t you?”

Shiro only answered with a mumbled affirmation, “Mmmrnng.”

Another brief laugh rolled through Keith. He was loving this.

Shiro must have had a beautiful laugh. One of his first observations about Shiro was about his voice. What did it sound like when possessed by laughter? Keith wanted to know what kinds of things Shiro found funny, what kinds of things brought him joy. How different would the universe have to be to give Shiro that?

Maybe he shouldn’t think about that, about what he could never have, but if he was going to die here, what was the harm in imagining what could have been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, the cell wasn't actually all that cold. Keith isn't acclimated and he's panicking.
> 
> Your comments and kudos give me life!
> 
> [main tumblr](https://circuscrow.tumblr.com/), where I most of the time
> 
> [sheith/voltron tumblr](https://circuscrow-in-space.tumblr.com/), for just sheiths
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/circuscrovv/), where salt and porn live
> 
> [pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/circuscrow/), which I want to use more


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ““They really got under your skin, didn’t they?”  
> Keith didn’t realize that he was clenching his jaw, or that his shoulders were hiked up to his hears. He just shrugged as he tried his best to release the tight hold he had on Shiro.  
> A hand came up to smooth over Keith’s hair. It was the bad arm, Keith could tell from how stiff its movements were. “What did they say?””
> 
> Keith has only been imprisoned for a few days, Shiro even longer. When it’s just the two of them, alone as they are, it’s easy to find that comfort themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was literally brought to you by Blood Magic™. If you or someone you know is struggling with creative endeavors, try Blood Magic™ today.
> 
> For real though, this chapter took way longer than I wanted it to, for various reasons. Mainly because we got some smut in here. I feel like I need to apologize for that, my smut writing skills are incredibly unpracticed. If it’s not your thing, you can stop when it starts, there’s nothing else at the end of the chapter.
> 
> Reminder that this is a tag-as-I-go kind of fic. Check the tags before you read to make sure you’re still into it.
> 
> Now let’s get into it.

Keith spent his time sleeping the same way he spent the rest of his time, resting atop Shiro. He didn’t know whether he should be surprised or not at how comfortable he was. It was easy to get comfortable like that, his head nestled to Shiro’s chest with Shiro’s arms around him. Shiro was so delightfully warm and Keith didn’t think it was possible to feel this level of contentedness while in prison.

Actually it was the only way he could make sure Shiro slept at all. It seemed Shiro would much rather spend his time watching over Keith and protecting him with vigilance, but he was the one doing the fighting. If Keith needed rest to heal, Shiro needed rest even moreso. Keith’s solution was forcing him to lay down and stubbornly waiting, insisting he won’t sleep until Shiro does. Somehow, he got his way and they slept together.

It was almost comical how tiny Keith felt on top of Shiro. He still couldn’t even tell what Shiro’s full height was, bent as he was to fit in the cell, but even just their torsos weren’t comparable. Keith was able to rest his head neatly on Shiro’s chest and his feet only brushed just above his knees. It was oddly comfortable for sleeping, Shiro was firm, but even through his suit Keith felt the plush padding of his fur.

Normally Keith hated being close to people, even the smallest of gestures felt like too much to him. But the closeness here was a necessity, and Shiro somehow made the intimacy that came with it easy. Everything he did had an extra layer of honesty to it, and it felt natural for Keith to return that honesty with his own openness.

But no matter how safe Keith felt with Shiro, the inherent nature of where they were made sleep difficult. As much as he needed Shiro to sleep, he could understand the appeal of staying awake to keep watch. But Keith managed, counting in his head and shutting out the rest of the world until tiredness overtook him. He was fine once he was down. He dreamed of home. Of red rocks, sun scorched sand, and rainbow sunsets. His homesickness persisted in his dreams. Even the music was sad, as if it were bidding him goodbye for the final time.

The tune was pitched low, and he heard it with his entire body as it rolled through him. For a brief moment, Keith wondered why the desert was singing.

That was what woke him up.

His eyelids felt sore and heavy as he tried to pry them open, but his head was too foggy to remember how to wake up. The song continued outside his dream, a melody so soft that it didn’t even touch the metal walls of the cell. Shiro’s chest vibrated as he continued to hum, and Keith felt every note.

Keith woke up a little more with the realization. _Shiro_ was humming. It wasn’t singing, exactly, but Keith was still brought back to their first moments together, when Keith was marveling at the Champion’s voice.

It was strange in its alien nature, but the emotion was there. No wonder Keith dreamt that the desert was saying goodbye. Somewhere in his heart, Keith started to worry that he would have to say goodbye to Shiro soon, as well.

“Keith?”

Busted. Keith only then realized how tightly he was gripping Shiro.

“Sorry, I interrupted you,” Keith mumbled into Shiro’s chest.

“Sorry I woke you.” A clawed hand scratched lightly at his head, combing through his hair.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“Uh, sorry.”

“What were you singing?” Keith asked through a yawn, Shiro’s petting was already lulling Keith back to sleep.

“Let’s just go back to sleep for now.” Shiro’s voice was tender.

It wasn’t fair, Keith was supposed to be getting Shiro back to sleep, not the other way around. “You?”

A small chuckle vibrated through Shiro’s chest. “Yes, me too. Both of us.”

For now, that was good enough for Keith. As he drifted, he did his best to make sure Shiro’s breaths were evening out with sleep, too.

 

Keith was relieved when he woke up before Shiro. It was proof that he actually did fall back to sleep. And he was still sleeping, Shiro was getting the rest he needed.

Their meal had already arrived for them, going by the smell that hung around in the cell. It was just as bad as the last batch, maybe a little worse. Just like last time, Keith ate as much as he could manage without barfing before leaving the rest for Shiro. It was obvious that they were only giving them enough food for one prisoner. To Keith it looked like they had plenty, but when Shiro held the tray to eat his own share, the discrepancy between the amount of food and Shiro’s size was obvious. Keith wasn’t sure what the Galra were hoping to drive them towards, but for now, Shiro seemed content to share whatever they got.

“He’s still not doing anything to it.”

Keith jumped at the voice, nearly dropping the tray. His head whipped around and once again a pair of yellow eyes were staring at them through the slot in the door.

“It’s eating his food.”

A muffled voice answered the first one, but Keith could only hear the reply. “I don’t know, something more interesting than this. He’s treating it like a pet.”

Keith glared at the door, he wasn’t an “it” and Shiro wasn’t treating him like a pet. At least, he assumed he wasn’t. What was a pet to a Galra?

Another reply Keith couldn’t hear was followed by, “I guess you’re right. Too bad, so much potential just wasted.”

The first pair of eyes were pushed to the side, making room for a second. “That thing is staring.” Now it was the first voice Keith couldn’t hear. “I don’t know, it had a weapon when they captured it, so maybe.” Whatever the other said, it was met with a derisive snort. “The Champion doesn’t get a say in what we do to it.”

They were making Keith’s blood boil, he felt a growl bubbling up from his throat. But the action only made them laugh as they slid the slot shut.

“Don’t listen to them, they never have anything worthwhile to say,” Shiro murmured, his voice thick with sleep.

Keith felt the pout on his face. “I don’t like them talking about us.”

Shiro just sighed in response and sat up.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes,” Shiro answered with a smile. “Thank you for making me.”

“You’re welcome. The food is for you, I already had my share.”

“Thank you, Keith.”

Shiro didn’t even flinch at the foulness of the food, and Keith wondered if he ever wanted to get to that point. On the one hand, he could eat without trouble, on the other, it would mean that he was here for too long.

It wasn’t until Shiro was mostly done eating that he asked. “They really got under your skin, didn’t they?”

Keith didn’t realize that he was clenching his jaw, or that his shoulders were hiked up to his hears. He just shrugged as he tried his best to release the tight hold he had on Shiro.

A hand  came up to smooth over Keith’s hair. It was the bad arm, Keith could tell from how stiff its movements were. “What did they say?”

Was this something Keith could share? Or was it something he wasn’t supposed to think about, force away from his mind until he forgot it altogether? Before he could decide which, he blurted out, “Am I your pet?”

Shiro halted his petting and when Keith looked up his eyes were wide and lips slightly parted in astonishment. “My … pet?”

“Yes, your pet. Is that what this is?”

“N-no. You think you’re my pet?”

“I’m not a pet!”

“I know you’re not! Keith, what are you talking about?”

Keith crossed his armed and glared down at his lap. “They were calling me your pet.”

“Does your species prefer being kept as pets?” Shiro asked slowly, confusion in his voice.

“No! I just...” Keith doesn’t even know why he brought this up, maybe he just wanted to avoid silence. “I don’t know what Galra do with pets…”

Shiro looked no less confused, but his eyes looked a little more sympathetic. “You’re not my pet, Keith.”

“Even though you take are of me?”

“You take care of me, too. We’re equals, Keith, no matter how they see you out there.”

The fight drained out of Keith and he leaned back against Shiro, head resting on his chest. It was a nice chest, Keith thought. He nuzzled closer. Shiro’s pecs were large and firm and god, Shiro really did put other men to shame. Or was it an alien thing. Did Keith have an alien thing?

“So what’s really bothering you?”

Keith was hoping Shiro wouldn’t notice, but spending several days imprisoned in close quarters made it easy to read someone, Keith supposed. Pressing his face closer, mumbling in the hope that Shiro would drop the subject if he couldn’t hear him.

But Shiro heard him just fine.

Damn those big ears.

“How did you get here?”

He could tell by the way that Shiro went silent and tensed up that he had no trouble at all hearing him.

“You don’t have to answer,” Keith said a little more clearly. “They were talking about you and I got too curious. I knew I shouldn’t have asked...”

Shiro let out a deep breath and set down the mostly empty food tray. He leaned back on his hands and looked up at the ceiling, a distant look in his eyes. Keith couldn’t keep the worried expression off his face as he watched his movements. “I don’t even know how long I’ve been here, anymore…”

“Sorry…”

Shiro gave him a soft smile and Keith hated that muzzle. Dried blood flaked around the edges and obscured the lower portion of his face in metal and shadow, far too gruesome for such a gentle face. A claw gently brushed the hair away from Keith’s face. “It’s alright. I understand your curiosity.”

“You don’t have to say.”

But Shiro answered anyway. “They didn’t like the way I behaved,” he said simply. “I didn’t act Galra enough, so they put me in the arena. Reeducation, I guess you could call it. They never came back for me.”

Keith wrapped his arms around Shiro’s middle, as hard as the size difference made it. He held him tightly, burrowing his face as close as he could get. “You’re perfect Shiro.” Slowly, Shiro returned Keith’s embrace and for a moment, he hesitated before he continued. “If you were anywhere else, everyone would love you. They would have protected you from anything like this. I… I wish we could have met elsewhere. Somewhere better.”

Shiro’s arms tightened almost uncomfortably around Keith. When he looked up, Shiro’s eyes were closed tightly and his head was bowed. Keith reached up, gently running his fingers through Shiro’s hair, lightly scratching behind his ears. He sat up as far as he could, and pulled Shiro down just a little it further, and kissed him softly on his forehead.

It wasn’t the first time Keith gave Shiro a kiss, but it was the most direct. Honestly, Keith didn’t even know if Galra had a concept of kissing, but he needed to give one to Shiro anyway. They’re in hell, but Keith wanted to share just a little bit of love with Shiro in the time that they had.

“I wish I could give you a real kiss,” he spoke softly against Shiro’s fur. “I want to give you one, if I get the chance.”

Keith pulled back and Shiro was looking up at him. His eyes were open wide and they had a little extra shine to them. Maybe Galra could cry. They way his ears wilted made him look even more vulnerable, it made Keith’s heart break. How could anyone treat a creature as soft as Shiro like this?

“I want to kiss you too,” Shiro replied, his voice thick with emotion.

Giving Shiro a gentle smile, Keith leaned up to kiss Shiro again. He continued to scratch at his ears before burying his face in Shiro’s neck, letting his fur tickle his nose. A soft thumping noise sounded in the cell. Keith looked down to find Shiro’s tail, rhythmically tapping, causing him to smile. He hoped that was a good sign, filing it away in his newfound knowledge on Galra body language.

Keith continued kissing at Shiro’s neck, moving up to whatever part of Shiro’s cheek he could reach, before placing one final one at his temple. Quietly, he murmured, “It’s not a kiss, but I can do something else for you.” It was an impulsive thought, and he didn’t know yet if he should feel embarrassed for voicing it or not.

Shiro looked into Keith’s eyes, open but perceptive. He nodded minutely. “Okay.”

Caressing down Shiro’s neck and over his chest, Keith made note that he wanted to give more attention to those pecs later. Right now, this was about Shiro, not his own indulgences. Pushing him to lay back, his hands found their way to the bottom of Shiro’s overshirt and he pushed it up slow enough that if they weren’t on the same page, Shiro could stop him. But Shiro didn’t stop him. Instead he looked down at Keith with tender eyes and twitching ears. Keith still wasn’t exactly sure what twitching ears meant, but his best guess was that it was the Galra equivalent of blushing.

Cute.

Keith pushed up the shirt just enough to reach the top of the zipper of Shiro’s bodysuit. Just as carefully, he pulled it down, fumbling ever so slightly at the strangeness of the alien zipper. As he went, Keith marveled as more of Shiro’s body was exposed.

Shiro was thick. His body was dense with muscle and even his purple fur couldn’t hide that. And it was soft, almost like velvet, as Keith ran his hand down the plans of his abdomen.

“Is this okay?” Keith asked, unsure. He’d never been with someone like this, and he didn’t have a great idea of what he was doing. Add an alien to the equation and his uncertainty doubled.

“Yes,” Shiro breathed out reverently. “Keep going. Please.”

Nodding, Keith continued to smooth his hands over Shiro, stealing a quick squeeze of that marvelous chest as he moved down his body. Maybe Keith had a size thing instead of an alien thing. Or maybe it was just a Shiro thing. Gently and deliberately, he nudged the bodysuit off Shiro’s shoulders and slowly pulled it down, freeing his…

Oh.

Keith didn’t know what he was expecting. He expected Shiro to be different, but it still surprised him when he revealed two half erect cocks.

Two.

Shiro had two cocks.

They were _enormous_ , and they were still growing! What was he even supposed to _do_ with all that? And the _shape_! It’s not like Keith was second guessing himself, no, he still planned to go through with this, but the second cock just really threw him off. More than that, the shafts were fat and bulbus with nubs lining the undersides and the heads were pointed with short, chunky tendrils that gave them a star shape. In his whole life, Keith never expected to be in a situation where the vibrant purple color felt the most normal.

“Keith?”

Keith startled and looked up at Shiro. Oh god how long had he been staring? What sort of face was he making? He felt his own face heat up as he desperately thought of a way to smooth this over. Just go for it.

“Keith, you-” Shiro cut himself off with a strangled, oddly high pitched sound that might have been a moan as Keith licked up one of the shafts. The nubs were surprisingly soft, flexibly moving with his tongue. It quickly hardened and grew to its full size as he slowly dragged his tongue between the ridges of the starred head and lapped up the first beads of precum. A groan morphed into something like a growl, but when Keith looked up, Shiro’s eyes were unfocused and glazed over as they looked down at him, his ears were still twitching, but they calmed down a little bit. Keith took it as a queue that he was doing something right.

Gently, he reached up and took ahold of a shaft in each hand, stroking from base to tip as more pre dripped down over his tongue and hands, squeezing tighter as his boldness grew. There was no way Keith could fit even just one of these in his mouth. What could Shiro even do with anything this big anyway? Maybe it was because he was human, but it just seemed excessive. That’s what he thought, anyway, his body had a different opinion. Keith felt too warm, as he rubbed his thumb over one of the slits and laved over the other. Every breath was ragged and desperate each time he came up for air. His bodysuit restricted his erection uncomfortably as he basked in the scent of Shiro’s musk. He couldn’t even feel the cold metal floor anymore. It didn’t matter how alien Shiro’s body was, Keith was incredibly turned on.

Opening his mouth as wide as he could, he sealed his lips over the head and _sucked_ and Shiro threw his head back with a curse that morphed into moaning as Keith drank down more precum. There was so _much_ of it, but it was probably normal. Keith pulled back, a string of fluid connected to Keith’s lips as he continued to work him over with his hands. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” he asked quietly. “Even with just yourself?”

Keith didn’t give him time to answer before his mouth was back to work, lightly pressing both cocks together, doing his best to lick at both the heads as his thumbs ran up the bumps on the shafts. Shiro howled out Keith’s name and that was all the warning Keith got before his mouth was flooded with cum. He choked as he tried to swallow, but it was just too much to keep up with. Reflexively, he pulled back, gasping for air and not even able to savor the strange new taste has he was literally showered in Shiro’s release.

That settled it for Keith, Shiro _was_ excessive. And it was a huge turn on.

Between everything, the sensation, the smells, the excess, the warmth, Keith found his own climax. It was weak, but surprising. Keith gave a strangled moan as he came untouched, soiling his bodysuit.

Impeded by the shackles, Shiro tried his best to grope for Keith to pull him up, but claws only tickled at his scalp as he ran them through Keith’s hair. “Keith?” But Keith stayed where he was, clinging to Shiro’s hips as he tried to catch his breath, smearing pearly white smudges all over him. “Keith?”

“Was that good for you?” Keith mumbles. He licked at the cum sticking to his lips, marveling at the alien taste. It was oddly sweet, reminding him almost of the cacti he would sometimes eat back home.

“Keith come up here,” Shiro pleaded, “I want to look at you.” How could Keith refuse?

Nuzzling one last time at his him, his nose lightly brushed against one of the flagging shafts, drawing a rough gasp from Shiro. He pulled himself up over Shiro, only for Shiro’s eyes to widen and his ears to resume twitching madly. A laugh bubbled up from Keith’s throat.

“I’m sorry! I didn't mean to get it everywhere!” he apologized, lifting up the front of his overshirt to wipe at Keith’s face.

Keith laughed in earnest. “What did you expect? I only have one mouth.”

Shiro’s ears were fluttering so much Keith was afraid they were going to fall off.

Leaned close to his ear, Keith whispered, “You taste good.”

That did Shiro in. He abandon cleanup to hold Keith tightly, nuzzling his neck as best as he could with the muzzle in the way. “I feel like I need to say ‘thank you.’”

Keith placed a kiss by Shiro’s ear, more cum smearing in his fur. “I’m happy to do it.”

They stayed like that, cuddled up to each other, until all too soon, Keith felt the heat return. Looking down, he saw the two cocks standing proudly and ready to go again.

“Already?” Keith asked, laughter in his voice.

Keith was ready to dedicate his life to getting those ears to twitch as much as possible. Shiro opened his mouth to answer, but he was silenced by the heated look Keith was giving him. Lips curling into a smirk, he went back down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keith, you have an alien, size, and Shiro thing. Accept yourself.
> 
> Your comments and kudos are what keep me going!
> 
> [main tumblr](https://circuscrow.tumblr.com/), I live here
> 
> [sheith/voltron tumblr](https://circuscrow-in-space.tumblr.com/), my happy place
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/circuscrovv/), I hate it here but I can’t leave
> 
> [pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/circuscrow/), please rec some sheith blogs, or any blogs, it feels so lonely there


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ""Keith!" Shiro’s voice was full of pain and desperation as he scrambled to try and reach him. The last things Keith saw of Shiro were his terrified expression, and his hand outstretched.
> 
> This was the first time Keith was outside the cell since he got here."
> 
> Keith is separated from Shiro. But what started as a terrible situation could be turned around with some quick thinking and a lot of luck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry! This one took way longer than I ever wanted it to but this chapter was just not working! I rewrote this enough times that I nearly finished TWICE before before we got here. However I think what I ended up with is better than what I originally had. I really hope I don't give you guys another wait like this.
> 
> This chapter has some violence and blood mentioned.

Shiro was dragged off to fight thrice more. The second time was quick, but he came back beaten enough that he slept for nearly the entire reprieve before his third fight. That one took ages, the longest out of all of them. He came back with barely a scratch but his eyes looked haunted and he barely spoke afterward. He was in the worst shape after the fourth. His injuries were left largely untended and he couldn’t even speak through the pain. And his  _ arm _ . Deep gouges were clawed out of his flesh, blood pouring freely through the tears in his bodysuit and the bones were twisted horribly. In the brief time he had to think about it, Keith didn’t think there was a way to fix this much damage. He couldn’t even touch Shiro without him screaming for him to stop. They were both helpless to each other. Perhaps it was by design.

The only warning Keith had was Shiro’s wide, panicked eyes and bared teeth. In the moment he thought those were for for him, a warning that Shiro couldn’t tolerate any help he was trying to give. “No!” Shiro growled with more hostility than Keith had ever heard from him. 

It stung in the worst way. Hurt was clawing its way up his throat when he felt the hands on him. Large with claws that pierced his bodysuit and dug into his skin as they gripped his arms. A wordless, startled sound escaped him as he thrashed out, trying to break the guards’ hold, but they held him too strongly, too securely as they pulled him up and out of the cell.

“Keith!” Shiro’s voice was full of pain and desperation as he scrambled to try and reach him. The last things Keith saw of Shiro were his terrified expression, and his hand outstretched.

This was the first time Keith was outside the cell since he got here. He pulled and pushed and clawed at the guards to no avail. They held him too well, they were too armored, Keith didn’t stand a chance. Fed up with his protests, they threw him down on the metal floor. The breath was knocked out of him in an instant and sharp pain laced throughout his body. Gasping, he thought that he could recover from this, he was just dazed. 

His heart dropped when he felt a pressure on his broken leg, and he had no time to react before the guard stepped down with a sickening crack, rebreaking it, destroying what little had healed and damaging it worse than before. A scream wrenched its way from deep in his core as tears stung his eyes. It hurt worse than when they it broke the first time.

The hands were back one him, paying no mind into his freshly broken leg as they carried him down the corridor. 

_ Pay attention. _

They turned right at the next passage. Keith was breathing evenly again, but he stopped struggling, he was aware that he was at the mercy of the guards. Who knew what was in store for Keith, but whatever it was he needed to know where he was. Next they turned left, passing over two other turns.

Was it time for him to fight?

Could he do it through the pain?

Maybe they didn’t want him to win…

The guards were talking, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. His heartbeat was too loud in his ears.

The corridor ended with a single metal door entirely unlike the cell doors. It was different. Instead of a slot it had a window that Keith couldn’t seem through, but otherwise it was featureless, without the extra reinforcement. Whatever was in there, they didn’t expect a struggle. It opened when a guard touched a panel next to it. All Keith could see of the inside was a metal table with straps. Horror fixated his eyes on that one feature.

He protested as they forced him onto the table and strapped him down, contorting his limbs with more force than necessary. Even though he couldn’t see the rest of the room, the  _ smell _ told him everything he needed to know, that sterile chemical smell, it reminded him of a hospital.

But Shiro said that prisoners didn’t get help.

No, they did get help, when Shiro came back his injuries always had the bare minimum of treatment.

Prisoners got help only when it was worth it.

For some reason, something had changed to make Keith worth it.

A tall, pale Galra hovered over him, the lower half of his face covered by what must have been an alien doctor’s mask. Keith bared his teeth, putting on a brave face as best as he could through the pain and fear. The Galra was giving orders to others, using jargon that Keith couldn’t understand as they flitted around the room. So focused on them, he didn’t notice when the one in charge moved down to his leg until he was once again blinded by pain as his leg was reset again, his throat already raw from screaming.

Keith was trembling when he looked up. The doctor was handed a large syringe filled with a glowing, sickly yellow liquid and Keith felt his stomach roll. He never got over his childhood aversion to needles, and it didn’t help seeing what exactly what alien substance he was about to be injected with. Pain halted Keith’s breath as the syringe pierced Keith through his bodysuit and he squeezed his eyes shut as a horrible sensation spread throughout his leg, like his muscles were bloating and seizing up, stretching his skin too tight and clenching and cramping around his bone. Such a feeling should not have been possible, it would be more merciful just to chop the leg off.

There were a few more injections to his arm that Keith felt through the haze. They weren’t as terrible as the one in his leg, but he felt the needles all the same.

For a brief moment, everyone pulled back. Shaking, barely breathing, wracked in pain, Keith waited for what they were going to do to him next. Rather than continue with their hellish medicine, the doctor stated, “He’ll be fit to fight in a little over a varga.”

A coldness settled inside Keith. “Keep him here in the meantime. He’s a fighter, he’ll just hurt himself if we let him move around too much, and then what use will he be. You all have other duties to attend to.”

Keith almost screamed, but it came out as a sob instead. They were just going to  _ leave _ him like this? And then just throw him to fight? What about Shiro? He needed to get back to him, not be thrown in the pit to die. And his arm. Why didn’t they help Shiro’s arm? Did they decide to abandon their Champion?

The doctor and others filed out and the echo of the slamming door filled the room. 

Another sob forced its way out of Keith’s lungs. His leg hurt so bad. When he lifted his head to look at it, it looked perfectly fine even though it felt like it should be the size of a beach ball.

Keith dropped his head back onto the table, trying to focus on calming his breathing through the haze of pain. Hyperventilating would only hurt his chances for survival. 

When he was breathing better, he even tried to meditate like Shiro showed him. He still couldn’t do it, but maybe he was getting closer.

Eventually pain started to ebb away. He still wasn’t feeling great, but at least he could focus on more than just his leg. Looking around the room, he couldn’t see anything remarkable about the room. Serile, minimal, metal, it looked like basically everything else he’d seen since he got here, even if the panels along the wall probably hid the real scary stuff. Keith huffed out a breath and looked up. For the first time, he really took note of how dim everything was, even in here, where good lighting should usually have been important. It was weirdly comfortable, not too bright and just barely above being too dim. He wondered what the Galra planet was like, was it dark, is that why the lighting was so weak? Was it something he could ask Shiro about if he got back to him? No, if Keith’s own homesickness from before was anything to go off of, asking about the Galra planet was definitely off the table.

Was he really just supposed to lay here for whatever the hell a “varga” was?

_ Guess it’s better than being thrown into a fight while my leg’s still broken. _

Not only did Keith not know how long a varga was, he also didn’t know how long he’d been here already. At least the pain was going away. With each passing minute, his leg felt better. Whatever freaky stuff they put into him was actually helping and Keith didn’t know how to feel about that.

Just to test how it was doing, he wiggled his leg a little bit and wow, he didn’t even think it was broken anymore. The remaining soreness felt like it was more from the rough treatment than anything. He wondered if he could walk on it as he reflexively tried to sit up and -

…

He could sit up?

Not entirely, the chest strap was still in the way, but it was so  _ loose _ . For the first time, he tried to move his arms around and  _ holy shit _ .

This had to be a mistake. Or a trick. He unlatched the chest strap with no problem and sat up fully. Even the leg strap was easy to take off, but that one was secured properly, puzzling him further. There was no activity at the door, no one trying to come in, so Keith gave his leg his own examination. And  _ yeah _ , it was  _ fine _ . He couldn’t feel the break anymore, it was just cramping a little. He swung his legs over the side and hopped down, still favoring the one leg. Keith found that it could bare weight no problem, it was just a little stiff.

The lack of commotion told Keith that there was still no one coming after him yet. That left him with two options. He could wait here. Or he could take his chance and find a way out of here. If this was the best opportunity he would ever get, he’d be an idiot not to take it. The door might be guarded but he was ready to fight his way out if he had to, to really show the Galra he could and would fight them.

Limping as little as he could over to the door, he place his hand on the panel at the side and took a fighting stance. But no one was disturbed as the door slid open. He poked his head out and sure enough there were no guards.

Was this really all an accident? The loose strap was just a mistake, and they left him unguarded because they thought he was secure?

Whatever, he’ll take it.

Now then, back the way he came.

Down the hall, and then to the right.

After two-

Wait, sentries were coming. Keith could hear their footsteps clanking against the metal floor in a steady rhythm. He ducked around a corner, tucking himself into the shadows, even holding his breath as they passed. What was their field of vision, Keith wondered as he watched them continue down the hall.

As quietly could, he scurred back down the hall.

There were two hallways he needed to pass, now just one.

Left turn and  _ crap _ .

This was the corridor he wanted to be in, but he had no idea where he started from. He heard the clanking of sentries’ steps and he found another corner to hide around. How was he going to find Shiro’s cell with sentries patrolling everywhere. At least no one was actively looking for him.

Once they passed, Keith quickly scouted out the cells. There were maybe a couple dozen cells for him to check and maybe two minutes between each sentry patrol to check inside them. It would take time and patience, but Keith thought it was doable. The hardest part would be seeing into the cells, the slots way higher than Keith could ever see into. Maybe if he jumped…

No, here they come, hide again. 

As he watched them pass, his eyes were drawn to the ground, hoping to find some better queue for their approach. But something else caught his eye.  _ The food slots! _ He’d be basically crawling on the floor but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

Once the coast was clear, Keith got to work and got through a handful of the cells before he had to hide again. Each one had a single occupant, each large and beastly and restrained in a similar manner to Shiro. On in particular had the addition of spikes driven through its hide, anchors for the chains holding it to the wall. Keith just barely started thinking about how he could help it when it started snarling and charging for the door, crashing into it as Keith slid the slot closed. No, it would kill him before he got close enough to help.

Another sentry patrol passed and Keith checked the next batch of cells. As he was checking the last cell before he had to hide again, he heard sounds from the next cell over. Something was banging against the door and muffled snarls just barely passed through. Keith wanted to check but  _ he had to hide _ . Back in his safe spot, he kept his eyes on that cell. Could that be the one? Unless he was noticed, everything else was quiet in their cells. Was Shiro trying to get to him?

The sentry patrol just  _ barely _ passed when Keith was racing for the cell, sliding the last few feet as he flung himself down to look into the slot. Peering inside he saw …

A foot.

Just a single weird foot. All at once Keith realized he never took notice of what Shiro’s feet looked like. Did he really only have two toes? At least he knew that whoever was in this cell was bipedal, and that was a start.

“ _ Shiro? _ ” he hissed quietly and the banging instantly stopped.

“Keith?” Shiro’s voice was bewildered.

“Down here.” Keith poked his fingers through the slot and wiggled them.

The foot moved back and another came into view. Wow, Shiro really did have only two toes. He crouched down and his face came into view in the slot and Keith’s heart soared.

“Keith are you alright? How’d you get here?”

“I’m fine. And I’m going to get you out. Just hang on for another minute. Another patrol is coming soon and we need all the time we can get. When I do, can you take us somewhere to escape.”

Shiro nodded seriously, “Yes.”

“Be ready to leave when I open the door, I’ll be right back,” and he slid the slot back shut and dashed back to his hiding spot.

Keith probably could have gotten Shiro out in that time, since he didn’t need any special keys or anything, just the same panels that were next to every other door. But he wanted all the time he could get. He wasn’t going to let them get caught again, not after coming this far.

The heightened risk kept him cautious, made him wait a little more patiently this time, but the moment he was safe he was back at the cell and slapped his hand against the panel a little too enthusiastically.

It was the first time Keith has seen Shiro stood at his full height. After being manhandled by the guards more than he ever really wanted to, Keith would say he was familiar with how tall Galra were, and Shiro towered over them. Keith only came up to his  _ stomach _ !

Not now.

Shiro’s arm was still messed up, so he decided to avoid his arms altogether. Instead he gripped his thigh to pull him out of the cell. “Come on, it’s safe just over here,” he said, leading Shiro to his hiding spot, making sure to close the door before they left. It suddenly felt less safe now that he had a lot more to hide. They had to make this quick.

Once he was sure they were safe, Keith couldn’t stop himself from throwing his arms around Shiro. His worries of dying in the arena and never seeing Shiro again melted away as he held him close, nuzzling against those abs, vaguely registering that his arms could barely wrap around his waist. Shiro knelt down, almost bringing him to eye level with Keith and pressed closely to him, burying his face into his shoulder. Keith scratched his fingers through the short hair behind his ears and he smiled at the happy bounce of his tail.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” Shiro murmured against his neck.

Keith lifted his head up and kissed his forehead, smiling as velvet fur tickled his lips. He leaned back to look into those soft grey eyes and he felt a warmth in his chest, but words were failing him. How could he express how truly elated he was. All that he managed was to softly say, “I got you.”

The clanking of sentry steps forced Keith out of his euphoria. He did his best to pull Shiro as far out of sight as he could manage with such a large body, and thankfully it didn’t seem like they were programmed with good peripheral vision. It got Keith back on task.

“You said you knew how to get out of here?” Keith asked once the patrol passed.

Shiro nodded. “I don’t know exactly where, but there’s a docking bay nearby. If we can get there, we just have to find something that’ll fly us out of here.”

“Let’s go, before someone notices we’re gone.”

“This way, left.”

Shiro really  _ didn’t _ know exactly where they were going, but he seemed to have some general idea. He just knew it was left of his cell. But it was fine. No one noticed their absence yet. The varga Keith had must not have been up yet, and no one had a reason to check on Shiro if they really had no intention of fixing his arm. In the meantime, they kept their ears alert for the sentries’ footsteps, dodging them as Shiro did his best to lead them to their freedom.

Keith’s hopes of an easy escape were dashed once they actually found the docking bay entrance. It was guarded, but really what else did he expect. He felt more frustrated than anything.

“There has to be-”

A blaring alarm interrupted Shiro. The varga must have been up, Keith thought as a voice announced an escaped prisoner. “Shit.”

“We won’t have long now…”

“Wait here, I’m going to get one of those guns.”

Maybe Shiro tried to stop him, but he already charged one of the two sentries, his focus entirely on getting a weapon. They’d probably alert someone that he was here once they noticed him, but they had to work fast and didn’t have many options.

The sentry registered him in its vision and immediately turned to fire on him, but Keith was too fast. He aimed for the feet, sliding into its ankles and toppling it over. The fatal flaw of Keith’s plan, if it could even be called a plan, was that the sentry wouldn’t let go of the gun. Keith pulled and yanked and kicked the sentry where he could, but its grip wouldn’t release. Stupid robot. So focused on the one, he didn’t even think about the other until he heard a crash.

Whipping his head around, he saw the other sentry, namely Shiro lifting it off the ground with his bound hands. “Keith! Out of the way!”

Keith dropped down and rolled out of the way in a second and the sentry crashed down on top of the other. Drops of Shiro’s blood splattered to the ground from his open wounds and Keith tried not to think about the awful sound coming from his elbow. 

Stay on task. Once they get out of here, he’ll have all the time in the world to take care of Shiro’s arm.

Keith scooped up the gun that clattered to the ground. He didn’t  _ exactly _ know how it worked, but he somehow got it to fire. Repeating the action, he shot a blast at each of the sentries. Shiro was already shoving him into the docking bay.

“Find something to take us out of here, I’ll cover you.” The docking bay was an unfortunate hub of activity and they were noticed immediately. Sentries zeroed in on them and he heard multiple Galra relay their location over comms before joining the attack themselves. And they only had one gun.

Keith let off a few shots when Shiro shouted, “Here, this will do.”

It was a small, squat thing, just enough for the two if them, and Shiro was already climbing inside and starting the engine. A few more shots and Keith jumped in next to him. His arm left him sloppy with the controls, but Shiro was already flying through the docking bay before the ship even fully sealed. In no time at all, they were outside, zipping through space.

“If you tell me what to do, I can fly,” Keith said, already moving toward the controls. “Can you make a call on this thing or something?”

Shiro simply sat Keith on his lap, and Keith gripped the controls. It wasn’t too weird, it was almost like one of those arcade games. “If you just focus on steering, I’ll handle the rest. Who are we calling?”

“There’s a castle on Arus. They can open a wormhole to get us out of here.”

Shiro’s good hand flew over the control panel, his bad arm being dragged along with it. The screen flashed with warnings about pursuers, but Shiro didn’t seem all that concerned as he set up the transmission.

“Alright, it’s up.”

“This is Keith, contacting the Castle of Lions.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience with me, the next chapter will hopefully not take a month to write.
> 
> [main tumblr](https://circuscrow.tumblr.com/), I’ve been here too long, I can’t leave
> 
> [sheith/voltron tumblr](https://circuscrow-in-space.tumblr.com/), I will never stop loving sheith
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/circuscrovv/), I don’t know what I’m doing but I’m here
> 
> [pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/circuscrow/), did anyone else even move here?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The Castle of Lions sprouted from the cliffs of Arus, the sleek structure contrasted with untamed nature. It looked no less imposing and mysterious than the first time Keith saw it from the Blue Lion’s cockpit, but more than anything Keith felt relieved to see the alien castle. It was over. He got out. He got Shiro out . Keith was nearly shaking."
> 
> Keith escapes Galra imprisonment with Shiro. While he wasn't expecting a welcome back party, he certainly did not expect his return to be so turbulent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted this chapter out a week ago at the latest, but I had a ton of other obligations to finish before I even thought about writing. At this current speed, I have no idea when this fic is going to wrap up, which is a shame because I already know what my next project is going to be. Hopefully I can cap this one off within the next few months. Or this part at least since I already have sequels and side stories in mind.

The Castle of Lions sprouted from the cliffs of Arus, the sleek structure contrasted with untamed nature. It looked no less imposing and mysterious than the first time Keith saw it from the Blue Lion’s cockpit, but more than anything Keith felt relieved to see the alien castle. It was over. He got out.  _ He got Shiro out _ . Keith was nearly shaking.

Shiro was fading fast. He was gradually wilting over Keith and he stopped guiding him with the controls after they exited the wormhole. Keith really hoped it wasn’t from blood loss or pain, the arm was so much worse off than when Keith first saw it. His hand looked like it was on backwards… Maybe he should have prioritized Shiro’s safety more at the end there instead of just getting out.

“Are you doing alright, Shiro?” Keith asked lightly as the ship glided alongside the castle’s bridge.

“Fine,” Shiro grunted. “I think everything is catching up to me.”

“Everything’s going to be okay once we land. I’ll take care of you,” Keith murmured, and Shiro slouched down, resting his forehead on Keith’s shoulder.

Yeah, everything was going to be okay.

The ship touched down, the castle doors already creeping open to reveal approaching figures, the Garrison cadets with Allura and Coran trailing behind them. Keith tilted his head back to look up at Shiro and gave him a reassuring smile. “We’re here.”

Shiro let out a shaky breath, one ear flicking delicately. His answer was tapping a button on the controls to open the ship. Natural light illuminated the interior of the cockpit and an airiness settled inside Keith. The feeling intensified when his feet finally landed on solid ground. He was  _ safe. Shiro  _ was safe. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs until it felt like they were about to burst. Going from wide open desert to a confined space prison was a transition Keith was glad he didn’t adjust to.

Behind him, Shiro struggled with his shackles, too restricted by his mangled arm for any real mobility or leverage. A part of Keith cringed, the arm looked more mangled each time he saw it. It likely wouldn’t matter what kind of advanced medicine the Alteans had, Shiro’s arm looked like it had reached the point of no return. He hoped he was wrong.

Forcing a smile past his worries, Keith held out his hands. A weighty look passed between them before Shiro took them, his one hand entirely engulfing both of Keith’s. At the very least, soon he won’t have to deal with the shackles anymore.

Keith’s was Shiro’s balance as he clammored out of the ship.

They took care of each other and they made it to the other side. Keith felt like he was glowing.

Unpleasantly loud squawking interrupted Keith’s newfound inner peace.

“Keith! What is that?!” Keith winced at the hostile tone, and he turned to come face to face with The Loud One, the other two cadets stopped just behind him. Allura was approaching faster now and she looked scared of something. Coran had stopped altogether, his expression puzzled.

“Uh, a cargo ship, maybe?” He eyed the ship, and maybe it could be tracked, Keith didn’t really consider that when they were escaping. But they could do something about it, couldn’t they? Maybe they could-

The sound of a bayard activating made Keith realize they were not talking about the ship.

Shiro flinched and Keith immediately stepped between him and the rifle. “Whoa! Hey! What are you doing?!”

“You brought a Galra back with you?!” Lars accused.

“Keith, what is the meaning of this?” Allura demanded. She was unarmed and dressed in her gown, but she looked ready to toss Shiro from the planet herself. Possibly Keith, too.

Keith froze. They were really doing this? How anyone could see Shiro as an enemy was beyond him. Between his shackles and muzzle, his ruined arm, and his prison clothes that were identical to Keith’s, it should have been obvious that Shiro was someone who needed their help. He took a deep breath ground himself, getting angry wouldn’t do Shiro any good. “This is Shiro. He helped me escape.”

Confusion colored their eyes.

“He-“

“Is there a medical room I can take him to?”

Shiro dipped his head in greeting. Or maybe it was submission. “Sorry for intruding.”

“You want us to give medical attention to a Galra?” Allura sounded offended at the very notion. “He’s the enemy, Keith! You can’t possibly think this is okay!”

“I do,” Keith answered, forcing his voice to remain even. Behind him, he could feel Shiro’s unease. His nervous energy was too sharp in the air, it made him want to charge past everyone an find a med bay on his own, their approval be damned. All the resentment he’d been feeling over however long he was gone came bubbling to the surface. All his thoughts of abandonment, his homesickness, his fear. “He helped me. That’s more than any of you can say.”

They flinched at his words, and maybe he’d gone too far, spoke too honestly. 

“We were going to come, once the castle was fixed…” It was the green paladin. Pidge, Keith remembered.

“Really? You needed the castle for that? Because you had no trouble leaving me to get the Red Lion on my own.” Pidge cringed at the harshness of his words.

“Hey! Don’t talk to him like that!” Lars stomped forward and Keith took a defensive stance. Fighting was the last thing that Keith expected to happen after escaping.

“Now, now,” a calm voice said, interrupting their bout before it started. Coran finally approached them, stepping between to fight. “Let’s not start fighting amongst ourselves.”

“But-”

“We can save the buts for later, Lance.” Lance, right, that’s it. Coran clapped his hands on Keith’s shoulders and gave them a firm, comforting squeeze. “Keith is back! It’s the first sign that our luck is turning around! And Shiro, was it?”

Shiro startled as he was addressed directly, Coran stepping up to him. His ears were laid back in a way Keith hadn’t seen yet.

He was afraid of them.

“Sorry for-”

“None of that now,” Coran’s voice was soft, as if he was trying to calm a startled animal. That was not an inaccurate description at the moment. He reached out to gently pat Shiro’s uninjured arm. “Let’s get you patched up, that arm of your’s is in pretty bad shape.”

“Coran you cannot be serious.”

“I am princess. Have you ever been in a healing pod?”

Shiro shook his head.

“Incredible things they are. You’ll just fall asleep and then wake up feeling as good as new! We’ll have you back to your old self in now time.” Coran lead Shiro towards the castle and Keith was glad there was at least one person willing to help him.

Allura stepped directly in front of Coran, blocking his way. “I  _ must _ protest! We can not have some Galra wandering about the castle! Think of the damage he could do! We’ve already been fighting off Galra fleets with only three Lions! This is just careless!”

Keith was positively seething and Shiro looked ready to go back to the ship.

“I do not believe Shiro is a threat,” Coran answered evenly and Allura looked like she swallowed a lemon. “I’m sorry, princess, but for the time being, I will be taking Shiro to a healing pod. If it makes you feel better, I’ll make sure he is supervised at all times. Now, come along, Shiro. Let’s go get that stuff off of you.”

With no further argument, Coran lead Shiro past Allura.

Shiro looked back at Keith as he followed, his ears still back, his tail tucked by his leg. He looked so much more vulnerable here than he ever did when he was imprisoned and it caused Keith to feel a pang of guilt. He never expected rescuing Shiro would have a downside, but maybe it was naive on his part.

Taking a deep breath, he followed them, only to have his shoulder grabbed roughly, pulling him back.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Allura snapped, wiping him around to face her.

“With Shiro,” Keith answered strongly, despite being the target of her fury.

“Not until you give us some answers. Where is the Red Lion? Why do you have a Galra with you. What-” Allura’s anger tapered off and turned into distress. Her tight grip softened and with concern in her voice, she asked, “What happened to you, Keith?”

Keith crossed his arms and looked down, hunching his shoulders, once again reminded that he was coming back a failure. His one job was to return with the Red Lion and now he didn’t even have the Red Bayard. Red was still in Galra hands, Black would remain locked deep in the castle, and both bayards were lost. Hell he didn’t even have the Red Paladin armor anymore. This really was just a mess.

“It didn’t respond to me.”

A tense silence settled between everyone. Allura looked shocked and Pidge and Hunk cringed together. Keith didn’t even want to see Lance’s reaction.

“It didn’t…” but Allura just trailed off.

“No. It wouldn’t even let down its barrier. The Galra caught up with me and well…” He felt the sympathy in their gaze and that made him want to look at them even less. He doesn’t even know how long he’d been gone but really, what do they think he’d been up to? Taking a deep breath, he continued. “The prisoners are used for gladiator fights to entertain the Galra.”

“Gladiator fights?” Pidge looked pale at the idea.

“Did you…?” Hunk trailed off as Keith was already shaking his head.

“No, I was injured, so they didn’t make me. They tried to fix me up, but that was my chance to escape.”

“You need a healing pod, too, man?” Hunk asked, and Keith glanced up to see him looking a little more closely, checking for injuries.

“I… Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” Keith answered. “I don’t know what they did to me, so yeah, I think I should.” As much as he agreed with Hunk, he was equally using this as an excuse to end this conversation.

“Now hold on.” Keith was already heading to the castle again when Allura spoke up. “What about that Galra?” For his own sake, Keith ignored the disgust in her voice.

“I told you, he helped me escape. We shared a cell.” 

Their responding disbelief was enough to set Keith off again.

“Did you not notice the shackles? Or the muzzle? Or that we’re both wearing prison clothes? Why else would his  _ arm _ be  _ backwards _ ? You can’t honestly believe that the Galra wouldn’t be cruel to their own people.”

Even though Allura looked more insulted at Keith’s back talk, the cadets at least looked repentant.

Keith signed and added, “I know you’re going to ask this eventually, so I’ll tell you now. Shiro was imprisoned because his superiors didn’t like his behavior. The word he used with me was ‘reeducation.’ Now that he’s out, maybe he’ll say more.

“I escaped with Shiro because he’s my friend.” More than a friend. “But if you’re willing to look, I’m confident you can find an ally in him. Now where is the med bay?”

The castle still felt just as uncomfortably expansive as the first time he walked through it, and there were a lot of twists and turns he had to memorize, but when he finally walked through the med bay doors, he nearly started crying.

It was the first time Keith saw Shiro without a muzzle. Keith couldn’t help himself from jogging forward and throwing his arms around Shiro’s waist. He felt surprised laughter rumble its way through Shiro and his happiness intensified when he felt his good arm wrap around him and didn't drag his injured one with it.

Shiro was free. He was getting help. The others’ attitudes didn’t matter anymore, because Shiro was okay.

Keith took a step back to look at him. Blood clung to the fur around a raw, symmetrical line, but Shiro’s smile, his real smile, was even more beautiful than Keith imagined it would be. It made the entire castle feel brighter.

“How are you feeling?” Keith asked softly, as if something would break if he spoke too loudly.

“Better, now that I can actually keep my arms apart.” Keith’s heart warmed further when he saw that Shiro’s arms were comfortably at his sides. The right arm was freshly bleeding, but Coran did something to realign it. Halos around his wrists matched the line on his face, but they looked so much better than the harsh metal cutting into him.

Keith almost started crying for real when he looked up at Shiro again. “You’re going to be just fine,” he said, squeezing his hips. Shiro was going to be more than fine.

The sound of someone clearing their throat broke through their private bubble and Keith was reminded that they were not alone, Coran was still with them. “Yes, just fine,” Coran agreed with a knowing smile and twinkling eyes.

Mumbling an apology but feeling embarrassed, Keith stepped back, but he slipped his hands into Shiro’s uninjured one and squeezed.

“Now Shiro, if you’ll just step this way. I have the pod ready for you,” Coran offered.

“Thank you Coran.”

“Not to worry, my boy. Like I said before, this will just feel like going to sleep. Nothing to worry about at all.”

Shiro nodded and looked back and Keith saw genuine hope shining in his eyes. It was enough to overwhelm him.

“I’ll be right here,” Keith choked out.

“Thank you.” Shiro squeezed Keith hands before letting go to step into the pod.

The pod sealed shut with a hissing sound and Keith could see a nervousness work it’s way through Shiro. He stepped forward and placed his hand on the glass. “I’m right here.”

Shiro didn’t seem any less nervous, but he was smiling at Keith again. He kept his eyes on him until they closed when sleep overtook him.

Keith couldn't look away. He didn't want to. Whenever Shiro slept in the cell, he never looked this peaceful. Everything was going to work out, Keith would make sure it did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coran is the true Space Dad and he ships sheith.
> 
> The funniest part about this fic was that I wanted to write alien smut, but there has been surprisingly little so far and there won't be more for a while. I added in too much plot.
> 
> Speaking of plot, between this and the last chapter I entirely changed what comes next. Again. Don't worry, this is going to be way better.
> 
> I subsist off kudos and every comment literally make me weep in happiness.
> 
> [main tumblr](https://circuscrow.tumblr.com/)  
>  [sheith/voltron tumblr](https://circuscrow-in-space.tumblr.com/)  
>  [twitter](https://twitter.com/circuscrovv/)  
>  [pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/circuscrow/)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The halls were empty and lifeless as Keith stepped down them. It was better lit than the Galra command ship, but it wasn’t that different, it was still made out of metal with little difference between the floor and ceiling. The walls were barren of adornment and Keith wondered if that was a product of war or if that was simply the nature of space travel. The castle was unsettling in the exact opposite way the command ship was. While escaping the Galra the fear was the constant danger of being found, in the castle it was all too easy to imagine spending days or weeks without ever seeing another living thing.
> 
> If it was decided that Shiro wasn’t welcome in the castle, Keith knew it wouldn’t be a hardship for him to leave to go with him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was incredible in that it was almost done for a full week but it just kept getting longer and longer. There were very specific things I wanted to include and getting to them just took forever. Now this is the longest chapter so far.
> 
> There's also some new tags for you to consider, but they won't really be explored until later in the story. I really wish I could have tagged everything in chapter one, but I genuinely could not have done that. My plans for this fic change week to week and chapter to chapter. While I have a more concrete idea of what I'm doing now, this is definitely not the same fic I was writing back December. Don't be afraid to ask me about any concerns you may have.
> 
> Another problem is I just don't know what to tag or how to tag things. I'm trying my best to be transparent with y'all.
> 
> Something I forgot to mention last chapter, right now we're at the point where everyone is still addressing Pidge as a boy. In a couple of chapters, we're going to be changing that.

Irregular hormonal fluctuations.

It wasn’t the exact phrase Coran used, but it was Keith’s closest approximation.

_What does that even mean?_

After Shiro fell asleep and Keith spent a significant amount of time staring moonstruck at the tranquil expression on his face, he remembered that he was also in the med bay for himself. Coran, who Keith was starting to think had the patience of a saint, ushered him into a healing pod of his own. It didn’t put him to sleep like it did Shiro, it didn’t need to for a health scan.

The results for his leg came back quickly, it was perfectly fine despite having been broken twice over the course of a week and a half. A second later the scan indicated that Keith needed an immediate change of diet, the prison food not even close to being something a human could live off of. But no permanent damage there.

With the most pressing concerns out of the way, the scan continued to run. And continued. It got to the point where Coran was openly worried and thought there was an issue with the pod. He had to manually terminate the scan early to try and piece together the data it had gathered.

The most Coran could make out was that his hormone levels were changing drastically over short periods of time.

Keith was human, something Coran and the castle had no basis for, so maybe it was just an error. Hopefully? He wanted to have Hunk, Pidge, and Lance test it to see if it did the same.

It didn’t.

The pods completed their scans in just a couple minutes with conclusive results. Ideally with a larger sample size, the pod would know what to do for Keith.

It didn’t.

The scan yielded the same result, running endlessly while reading out anomalies.

And that’s when they discovered the DNA abnormalities.

The word Coran used was “inconsistent” and that’s when Keith started panicking.

“Am I dying?”

“No! No. Probably not.”

“Probably?!”

“I know it’s frightening, whatever all this means. But we can deal with any problems that arise right here,” Coran replied calmly. “Right now, how do you feel? Physically?”

Keith stood up straighter. The only thing he felt was anxiety and that made it hard to concentrate on anything else. And to think he was as happy as he was just an hour ago.

“Keith,” Coran prompted sternly while remaining gentle. “I need you to answer me.”

“Hungry?” That might not have been what Coran was going for exactly, but it was true. Once he brought up food it was all Keith could think about.

“What else?”

The room was silent as Keith tried to move past his worries and evaluate himself. He was still sore from his treatment at the Galra prison, his leg may have been healed but the muscles still felt too tense to be comfortable but that might just be in his head, and his arm still hurt from all the needles. Keith inhaled through his nose. Forget about what the Galra did to you, just focus on now.

He couldn’t focus.

“How about this? We get you something to eat, you take a proper rest, and we can do daily health scans until all this evens out or something changes, whichever comes first. We can even go longer, if it makes you feel better.”

Keith couldn’t disagree. Without knowing what was going on they couldn’t do anything about it. And after his brief time with the Galra, he was even more put off to medical procedures, so he was a tad overeager to end this. The pods were considerably better than being strapped to a table, but something inside Keith cringed away from the thought all the same. Getting permission to not do anything right now was more of a relief than it should have been.

Soon Keith was nursing a bowl of … something in the kitchen. It was green and smelled like vegetables, but he could eat it without getting sick and for Keith that was a luxury. Hunk said he’s been spending his free time experimenting with the flavor, trying to make it more palatable for humans. He was also trying to create new foods from alien ingredients, but so far the result have been mixed. Maybe it was the sickness from undernourishment or just the promise of eating again, but Keith offered himself up as a taste tester, much to Hunk’s delight.

Otherwise, no one was there. It was just Hunk helping him with the food dispenser and afterward he left.

It was fine, Keith wasn’t sure he even wanted to talk with them much at the moment.

Sitting in a chair, and at a table no less, was nice for a change.

The metal was still cold.

He really wished Shiro was here.

After eating, Keith went back to the med bay to check on him. Coran was gone and the lights were out, the room was only illuminated by the active healing pods. Keith’s eyes were immediately drawn to Shiro, his relaxed form softly glowing in the pod. The sight made Keith feel lighter. He kept the room’s lights off as he entered. Even though Shiro was in a deep, medically induced slumber, Keith still shied away at even the slightest possibility of disturbing him.

As Keith passed the other pods, he realized for the first time that these must have been prisoners rescued by Pidge after they were separated. There were a dozen or so there and some part of Keith was glad that he had managed to rescue them. He was mostly conflicted. The irony was not lost on him.

Keith reached out and gently touched the glass, feeling the power hum through the casing. He so badly wanted to reach inside and touch Shiro directly, but until he was better this was the best he could do.

Shiro _was_ going to get better.

Keith couldn’t stop his wobbly smile even if he wanted to.

Never mind the space war or Keith’s own health concerns, it really felt like they were in the final stretch of whatever this was. That once Shiro woke up, it would be smooth sailing from there on out. Maybe just the prospect of having Shiro with him to deal with it all made the future feel brighter than it actually was.

Keith was prepared to spend every minute in the med bay, right in front of Shiro’s pod until he was fully healed. But only an hour later, the lights blinked on, momentarily blinding Keith.

“There you are, I thought you might be here.”

Allura stepped inside and past the other pods, hands clasped delicately in front of her. Keith nodded his greeting.

“I thought Coran sent you off to rest. And why is it so dark in here?”

Keith looked back up at Shiro from where he sat on the floor. “I didn’t want to bother them.”

“They can’t actually see what’s going on outside the pod, you know.”

Keith simply shrugged and returned to gazing at Shiro.

Silence hung uncomfortably in the air, Keith was very aware of Allura staring at his back but she continued to do nothing.

“Is there anything you wanted to say?” Keith asked, keeping his tone light.

“Oh. Um. Yes.” Allura cleared her throat and stepped forward into Keith’s vision. She looked nervous. It never occurred to Keith that she could be anything less than completely confident, and it was oddly assuring to see that he was wrong.

“I came here to apologize.”

“Apologize? For what?”

Allura averted her eyes, taking particular interest in one of the metal panels on the floor. She heaved a sigh and answered, “I never had an alternative plan in case the Red Lion didn’t accept you. I didn’t account for a possible escape. Or an extraction. We- I didn’t even have a rescue plan ready and by the time we needed it itwasalreadytoolateand-”

“Allura.”

She snapped back to the present and finally looked at Keith. Her expression was drawn in distress and her eyes were bright with tears. “I’m sorry,” she choked out.

“You don’t have to apologize.”

Keith meant it but Allura seemed lost to his words.

“It’s a war. This happens and it could have been a lot worse. Sacrifices need to be made. Would I have liked to have not been captured? Yeah, absolutely. But I knew what I was signing up for.”

Allura let out the breath she was holding and with a slight tremor to her voice, she said, “Still, there was more I should have prepared for, and you were the one who had to pay the price. For that, I am sorry.”

“I’m just grateful that you accepted me back. And that you took Shiro in, too.” No, Allura never expressed permission for Shiro to stay, but he felt like he should extend his gratitude all the same. He _was_ here, after all.

Maybe it was a mistake because her face hardened and her eyes went cold.

“Yes.” There was a hard edge to her voice. “I’m still not all to certain that this is a safe course of action...”

“I know you’re not,” he answered plainly.

“You said he was imprisoned for behavior? He could use this as an opportunity to regain favor with his superiors…”

Keith almost wanted to laugh at that. “Shiro’s too honest for that.”

“You’ve only known him for a week, Keith,” she replied icily.

“Week and a half. But I’ve spent more time with him than literally anybody else in this castle.” Keith forced his voice to soften further, showing some of his desperation to hang onto Shiro show. “Just give him a chance, princess. Or at least just give him a chance to heal.”

Allura huffed out a breath, hands on her hips. Keith briefly wondered how many people had argued with the princess in the past, and something told him it wasn’t many. “Well. You need your rest, too.” He could see she was doing her best to move past this topic, and Keith could appreciate that. “Coran prepared a room for you. And it would do you good to clean up a bit.” It was said with humor and entirely without bite, but Keith was fully aware that even before he was launched into space he was pushing his limits of days without showering.

Instead Keith looked to Shiro, still sleeping, the screen of the pod reading out indecipherable alien script that meant nothing to Keith. What if Shiro needed him? He didn’t know how to work any of the equipment but he could still just be there…

“He won’t be awake for a few days, you know,” Allura prodded gently.

Keith wanted to argue that he would stay here for that time.

“He’ll be fine, Keith. He needs rest, just like you do.”

“What if something happens to him?”

“The castle is monitoring him directly and we will be notified. You’ll know right away.”

Right. Coran’s concession to Allura was that Shiro wouldn’t be left unchecked.

Keith still didn’t want to leave, but after asking for just a few more minutes of alone time, Allura left him with directions to his room. He stayed for much more than “just a few more minutes,” but he eventually he convinced himself that Shiro would worry if he didn’t take care of himself.

Mostly it was because metal was still cold.

The room was sparse, utilitarian, and unlived in.

But there was an inviting looking bed made up in cozy looking blankets. At the foot of the bed, neatly folded, were the clothes he changed out of before leaving to get the Red Lion. Rested on top was his knife.

Keith let out a relieved sigh that sounded almost like a sob. He was disappointed and a little stressed when he couldn’t find a way to holster the knife properly with the paladin armor in the short time frame he had to get ready, but now he was glad for it. Picking it up, he reveled in its familiar, comforting weight. It felt almost like it revitalized a part of himself that prison threatened to kill.

There was an en suite bathroom that Keith washed in, and feeling the grime and sweat rinse off himself and down the drain was a cathartic experience. With his own mounting exhaustion along with the heat from his shower, Keith was ready to pass out by the time he finished. Briefly, he wondered if he could set up a bed in the med bay, but before he even finished the thought he already had his face pressed to the pillow. It was soft and warm and he didn’t really mind that he was still damp and undressed.

Shiro was supposed to be out for a few days, they said. He can set up the bed later.

Maybe after just a quick nap.

 

Keith woke up feeling better in a way that made him feel entirely worse. He was over rested to the point where his entire body felt heavy and he could easily doze for a few more hours. The room he woke to confused him, the walls were strange and the bedding entirely too soft for anything he as used to. He was sore and stiff and couldn’t think of why, and he was definitely dreaming of something but no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t recall what it was about. Hair stuck to his face with drool as he sat up and he could feel the pillow imprints in his skin. The memories were foggy and came back slowly and Keith found himself laying back in bed, facing the ceiling and smiling.

Yesterday really happened.

_They’re really free._

Keith nearly fell over when he flung himself out of bed, too eager to get back to Shiro. As he got dressed, he noted that his clothes smelled better than he remembered and he suspected he had Coran to thank for that. Perhaps he should check in on Coran, as well. He’d already done so much, and he was the only reason why Shiro wasn’t turned away completely. Keith wouldn’t be here either, he had no reason to stay in the castle, and if Shiro had to leave Keith would follow him.

Pulling his jacket on, Keith stepped out of the room and jogged towards the med bay, stomach protesting with hunger. The kitchens would make a better first stop, but Keith knew what his priorities were.

After Shiro was healed, would he still be welcome in the castle and where would he go if he wasn’t? The Galra would recapture him if they found him, probably worse, and anyone else in the universe would welcome him similar to Allura and the cadets. It hurt to think there might not be anywhere for him to go.

Keith slowed down to a listless walk as he contemplated that line of thought. It hurt, having nothing. Isolation, exclusion, to put it plainly they sucked, and Shiro had been dealing with the worst version of it for _years_. For him it was the castle or nothing…

The halls were empty and lifeless as Keith stepped down them. It was better lit than the Galra command ship, but it wasn’t that different, it was still made out of metal with little difference between the floor and ceiling. The walls were barren of adornment and Keith wondered if that was a product of war or if that was simply the nature of space travel. The castle was unsettling in the exact opposite way the command ship was. While escaping the Galra the fear was the constant danger of being found, in the castle it was all too easy to imagine spending days or weeks without ever seeing another living thing.

If it was decided that Shiro wasn’t welcome in the castle, Keith knew it wouldn’t be a hardship for him to leave to go with him.

The Galra were close to Earth, but maybe they didn’t quite reach it yet. Maybe Keith could take Shiro home. The shack was small but away from prying eyes, the desert was expansive and full of life and sunshine and starlight. Shiro would probably enjoy hover biking. Keith smiled as he thought about their potential life together.

Keith was blissfully lost in his fantasy and happy tears pricked at his eyes when he saw Shiro still resting peacefully in his pod. He jogged over barely noticing the other escaped aliens or Coran, but the man simply greeted, “Good morning to you, too,” as he fiddled with the pod of something that looked like a lizard.

“Morning,” Keith answered bashfully.

“You’ve been out for an entire quintant, we were starting to get worried,” Coran commented cheerily.

“Oh uh.” Keith didn’t know how long that was. “I guess I was tired.” He walked to the pod

Coran shook his head, indulging smile on his face. “Everything is going fine. He’s responding well to the treatment. There might be some lasting nerve damage in his arm, but that’s to be expected from an injury that severe.”

“Lasting? Is there anything you can do for that?”

“Unfortunately I personally cannot. I’m not a doctor so the most I can do is operate the healing pods. You’d need a proper  surgeon to work with anything as complex and delicate as the nervous system. For a pod to fix that kind of thing, treatment should have started right when it happened. And it looks like it only got worse with time...

“He will have full mobility, or at least most of it. And we have medication to treat the pain. All things considered, this _is_ good news.”

Keith frowned. He thought about how the arm looked when they were escaping, how twisted it was, all the missing flesh. Seeing it now, it was properly reoriented and the wounds were mending themselves. Already Keith could see scar tissue taking the place of where fur used to be. It is good news, Shiro could have lost the arm altogether, but maybe he could have done something more.

“Now then,” Coran interrupted Keith’s thoughts. “What can I do for you, Keith?”

Startled at the offer, Keith wasn’t entirely sure what he was allowed to ask for. Thankfully, Coran seemed to realize this and took the lead. He refused to give Keith another health scan until he was fed, so he was whisked away to the kitchen.

This time, the others were there, and it was just as uncomfortable as he feared. The cadets were already friends and Allura had mostly Paladin business to talk about, of which Keith was not apart of. Exclusion wasn’t new to him, but it never got easier to deal with. Especially since the one person he wanted to be with was stuck in a healing pod…

But Keith survived the awkwardness and Coran returned him back to the med bay. The new scan yielded the same results as yesterday. He said there was little change in the fluctuation patterns. Mostly. Aside from that Keith didn’t really understand all the jargon. He  was pretty certain most of the words Coran was using didn’t even relate to humans. Nothing seemed dangerous, though, and that helped temper his growing anxiety for the time being.

After that, Keith was left with nothing to do.

The cadets—no, Paladins— were training. Even if they couldn’t form Voltron they still needed to get used to the controls and bond with their Lions. Allura was on the bridge, guiding them through rigorous exercises even though she claimed that the real training couldn’t begin until they had all five Paladins. Keith spent embarrassingly long contemplating the merits of staying in the med bay, but he knew the best thing he could do was help Coran repair the castle. He may not have been an alien engineer, but he was an extra pair of hands and that was reason enough to do what he could.

And that was ho Keith spent his next few days.

Each meal time he hoped things would get less uncomfortable but they never really did. His daily health scan would remain inconclusive and he would either feel annoyed or anxious afterwards. Coran would guide him through repairs that he needed assistance for. The first thing Keith did when he had a moment of free time was set up a nest of blankets and pillows in front of Shiro’s pod and he’d return there during times of rest.

At some point, he made his way to the training deck to join the cad- … the Paladins. As it  turned out, despite being chosen warriors of the universe, they were pretty terrible when it came to fighting outside of giant robot lions, and Keith found a use in sparring with them. He corrected their stances, critiqued their movements, and suggested strategies for working together. They already had some sort of basis of teamwork from the Garrison, but as inexperienced as they were, there was almost no improvement in the days leading up to launch. Lance was too self centered to work with others, Hunk was too meek to really put the effort in, and Pidge was holding back with communicating to his teammates, all issues that would need to be resolved over a lot of time and a lot of personal growth.

It was mostly just frustrating to work with them, no matter how much it made him feel useful. They made it all too clear that they didn’t respect him. Keith couldn’t tell if it was from the fact that he was an unknown to them or if it was because the Red Lion rejected him, but it was probably both. He couldn’t change what they thought about him, even if he was admittedly desperate for it. So he kept a level head no matter how much they poked and prodded him (and he would occasionally spar a little harder than necessary as payback).

When the castle was ready to launch, Allura insisted on throwing something like a goodbye party for the Arusians, which Keith didn’t entirely understand. They’ve been fighting off Galra ships since they’ve arrived, as Keith had been told. It didn’t seem smart to stick around for something as frivolous as a party. Keith doubled down on his opinion when he actually saw the Arusians. Their chances of survival would be much better without having a target like Voltron on their planet.

Keith’s displeasure grew further when the castle doors were left open for the duration of the party, and he hated when his anxieties was justified when the explosion shook the castle.

  


Shiro didn’t want to wake up.

For the first time in a long time he was laying on something that wasn’t cold metal. It was plush and soft and he couldn’t help but burrow a little closer as he fought off wakefulness. His arm hadn’t felt his good in phoebs. Not perfect, but still pretty damn good. If he was allowed, Shiro could have spent hours like that.

But people were talking. Whispering. They sounded worried. He stirred despite his desire to sleep more and his body was oddly sluggish. His mind too. Lifting his head ever so slightly and cracking an eye open, he saw aliens. They were huddled close together and were looking right at him. Shiro didn’t recognize any of them. But he recognized their prison clothes. Alertness tried to fight its way through the (medicated) haze, and only succeeded when someone threw something at him. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it hit him sharply in the head.

His body tensed, prepared to defend himself if they continued their attack, but they seemed to realize their mistake of threatening a downed beast. Collectively, they clamored back further, the stronger pushing the weaker behind them.

Shiro drew his focus away from the aliens. He was still in the Castle of Lions’s med bay. Multiple formerly active pods were open, his own included, and for some reason he landed in a pile of bedding instead of on the floor. Warmth crept over him when he realized he could smell Keith on them. He’d been here with him.

But where was he now? And why was Shiro out of his pod along with all these other former prisoners?

The power was out. Did something happen?

The aliens were chattering away, worried about him. He couldn’t blame them, he knew what he was to them.

Shiro was contemplating how to calm them when he heard it.

Rhythmic metal clanking.

Footsteps.

His fur bristled.

Shiro shot to his feet, all but snarling.

“ _Hide!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To everyone who thought our boys were going to be okay now that they escaped: I'm not sorry, I'm a dramatic bitch and this is what I do.
> 
> Your comments and kudos make me more powerful
> 
>  
> 
> [main tumblr](https://circuscrow.tumblr.com/)  
> [sheith/voltron tumblr](https://circuscrow-in-space.tumblr.com/)  
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/circuscrovv/)  
> [pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/circuscrow/)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Shiro…
> 
> Shiro was probably dead.
> 
> But.
> 
> He couldn’t be…
> 
> He can’t…
> 
> He-
> 
> Allura was shaking his shoulder, pulling him from his waking nightmare. “Keith! Come on!”
> 
> Her voice sounded far away.
> 
> It wasn’t fair.
> 
> He couldn’t just be gone.
> 
> “Keith!”"
> 
>  
> 
> The castle is taken over and the Paladins are scattered and Shiro has an unfortunate reunion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this happened. That 1) the chapter took this long and 2) that the chapter is actually done. I went back and checked and the last update was in March. Freaking _March!_ It's June now! I swear this wasn't on purpose. I took a sort of soft hiatus in April to focus on school, I seriously had a lot on my plate then and if I didn't take a break from writing for pleasure I'd have been in some real hot water. And then right while I was on the verge of finishing the chapter, my computer died. Got completely fried. I was devastated. I still am. Thankfully once I got my new one I was able to FINALLY wrap this up. And I'm just. I'm so happy this one is done.
> 
> Heads up: This chapter gets violent. But this is probably the worst of it. I can't imagine myself escalating any more than this.
> 
> As always, this is a tag-as-I-go fic, check the tags to make sure you're still interested.

Shiro ignored the twinge of pain in his arm as he ushered the protesting aliens into what might have been a linen closet. Their compliance was entirely out of fear for him instead of any awareness of what was going on, and Shiro really hoped that wouldn’t endanger them.

“Just stay in here.” Shiro tried to keep his voice quiet enough not to alert whoever it was outside while also trying to be loud enough to speak over the prisoners. “Stay quiet. Don’t let anyone know you’re here. Only answer if it’s someone from the castle.”

“What’s going on?” one of them cried.

Shiro shushed them a little too forcefully and they flinched away. Their reaction stung more than he expected it to, he pulled back to give them more space. “I don’t know. But it’s not good.” Closing the doors, he reminded them once more, “Stay quiet.”

The aliens were blessedly quiet behind the doors, and Shiro could focus on what he was hearing. Shiro really hoped he was just overreacting. Staying light on his feet, he jogged to the door.

Listen.

There were two, and they were running with purpose. If Keith was anything to go by, they were too heavy to be one of the castle residents, closer to Shiro’s size than that of a human or Altean. Shiro had spent enough time listening to the perfectly measured steps of the sentries patrolling the prison to know they had to be Galra, their steps were too imperfect for the precise mechanics. 

The footsteps drew closer.

And closer.

They were just outside the door.

…

And they passed.

Ever so slightly, Shiro relaxed his stance and his fur smoothed itself, but he didn’t let go of his tension completely.

The footsteps continued down the hall, fading with distance.

If Shiro was lucky, the door would have a failsafe and he wouldn’t be locked inside. He gripped the doors, wedging his claws between the seam and tried to pull them apart. The heavy doors cracked open and Shiro allowed himself to feel small measure of triumph when there was just enough space for him to squeeze through.

In the hallway, it was dark, but there seemed to be backup lighting fending off complete darkness, just enough for his eyes to see clearly. He pricked his ears forward, following the footsteps and keeping as quiet as possible. In the back of his mind, he was momentarily grateful that his prison clothes never had proper shoes — as long as he was careful to not click his claws on the floor, he was completely silent. 

Shiro scented the air and he froze immediately. Despite the deca-phoebs that have passed, the scent was all too familiar, bringing with it unpleasant memories. His tail unconsciously pressed to his leg as his insides turned to ice.

Sendak was here.

This was bad.

The  _ worst _ .

What  _ happened _ ?

What did he do the others?  _ What did he do to Keith?! _

_ Why was this happening? _

Too trapped in his own panic, Shiro nearly jumped out of his fur when the castle lights flickered on suddenly, an electronic hum accompanying them. Only the bright blue was replaced by dim purple.

 

Keith slammed his fist against the particle barrier again and again and again, Allura had to hold his arm back for him to stop. 

“You’re not helping.”

“What am I supposed to do, then? Just wait here?”

“Pidge is on his way to the central energy chamber. Once he shuts it down, we’ll need to be ready to fight. We don’t know how many Galra Sendak has with him.”

Keith let out an annoyed huff and gave the barrier one last kick before stepping away. He was ready to rip his hair out. Right from the start he was dead set against this stupid party. _They_ _left the doors open!_

And now they were stuck out here!

“Allura.”

She looked up, still fidgeting with a lock of her hair.

“What happens to the healing pods when the power goes out?”

There was no answer offered.

“Allura?”

“I don’t know. I’m not familiar with how they work. I’m sure they’re fine.”

“What about when Sendak finds them?”

Again, Keith wasn’t met with an answer.

“Allura!”

“Don’t think about that, Keith. Pidge is going to let us in soon.”

It was enough to make Keith growl, and he pointedly avoided Allura’s odd look.

Lance was incapacitated and Hunk and Coran were getting a new crystal, that left him, Pidge, and Allura to take back the castle, and Pidge was the only one actually  _ inside _ the castle. He wasn’t even sure if Allura knew how to fight. Probably, but he still didn’t like their odds of three against who knows how many. At least he had his knife this time, that was  _ something _ . 

Allura let out an annoyed huff when he started pacing. She looked like she was going to scold him when Pidge’s voice crackled through her communicator.

“Allura?”

“Pidge? Are you at the control panel?”

“Uh, not yet,” he answered, keeping his voice low

“Then what is it? Did something happen?”

“Shiro got out of his pod.”

The silence was deafening, and Keith noticed the accusation in Allura’s glare whether or not she tried to hide it.

“Is he doing anything, Pidge?” Keith asked, shoving down his defensiveness. So what if Shiro was outside his pod? That wasn’t a crime, it just meant that he got out somehow. More so, he was worried. Shiro was in a Galra occupied castle and Keith couldn’t fathom a positive interaction between him and his people. What would Sendak do to an escaped prisoner? He wasn’t sure how much longer he could wait patiently for the barrier to lower.

“He looks like he’s going to the bridge. And he’s acting kinda shifty.”

“There are enemy Galra in-”

“Or he’s with them,” Allura interrupted coldly.

“You can’t know that,” Keith gritted out.

“Sendak is loose in the Castle! What else am I supposed to gather from that?”

“The pods probably let Shiro out when the power went out. He might just be looking for one of us to see what’s going on.”

“So now you know how the pods work?”

“I’m just trying to think of a reasonable explanation.”

“The reasonable explanation is that you let an enemy walk freely in the Castle.”

“He was-”

“ _ Guys! _ ” Pidge disrupted. “Put a pin in this for now, what should I do? Continue with the power or engage Shiro?”

Keith leveled a venomous glare at Allura, which she returned in kind.

“Leave him be for now, Pidge. Our priority is deactivating this barrier so Keith and I can get inside.”

“Roger,” and the comm disconnected.

“He wasn’t walking  _ freely _ ,” Keith bit out. “He was supervised the entire time until the power went out. Because you wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“If I had it  _ my _ way he wouldn’t even be here! This had to have been his plan all along. He used you to get inside the Castle.”

“ _ No! _ ” Keith spat, mind recoiling from the thought. “Stop speaking so badly of him when you don’t even  _ know  _ him!” His voice cracked with emotion and he had to take a deep breath to calm himself down enough to continue speaking. “I never told Shiro about Voltron or even that you and Coran were Altean. He didn’t know. Hell I still don’t think he knows about Voltron unless Coran was talking about it. He just wanted to escape.” 

Rather than argue, Allura glared murderously at him. Keith hoped that meant she was at least seeing his logic. 

“I get the Galra  _ Empire  _ is bad. And I understand the weight of what they did to you. But they hurt Shiro, too. He’s not on their side. Do you honestly think every single individual Galra is evil?”

“Yes.”

Keith was nearly seeing red.

“When his is over,” Keith spat, “you’ll see that Shiro’s on our side. And you’ll have to accept him here.”

“ _ When this is over _ ,” Allura reiterated coldly, “we’ll get rid of all the Galra that jeopardized the Castle.  _ All of them _ .”

Shiro didn’t know where Keith was. He didn’t know where anyone was. And there were the aliens hidden away in the linen closet, completely unaware of the danger they were in. Their future was grim with Sendak here.

Trailing Sendak — _ Sendak of all people! _ — through an unfamiliar castle with a partially injured arm and no weapon was a great way to die. Clearly the healing pods messed with Shiro’s sense of self preservation.

Sendak’s presence was grim for all of them. The Alteans and the humans. The aliens.  _ Especially _ for Shiro. He couldn’t think of a scenario where this ended well for him. His tail twitched nervously.

He advanced down the halls on high alert, sensitive to any sounds or scents that could warn him of danger. It was still just Sendak and one other Galra. Shiro  _ might _ have known them in the past, but they seemed almost inconsequential in comparison to their commander.

A sound, a voice reverberated faintly against the metal of the castle. It was just soft mumbling, but sharp. For just a moment, Shiro thought he could hear Keith. It faded away just as quickly as it came. Ears flicking once, twice, he sought any echo of the sound at all, but the castle was silent. His heart squeezed uncomfortably. Stars, please don’t let anything have happened to Keith. What if Sendak got to him already? What if he was just lying somewhere, injured or worse? Emotion caught in his throat, making it hard to breathe.

Please, not Keith.

Panic pushed him forward, he wasn’t careful anymore. His claws clacked against the floor with every step as he briskly jogged down the hall, barely scenting the air to make sure he was still going in the right direction. He needed to find Keith.

His thoughts were interrupted when he came face to face with another Galra. They just rounded the corner, emerging from an opening of scorched, twisted metal. In the back of his mind, the vague sense of familiarity returned, but he didn’t have time to think about that.

Pupiless eyes met Shiro’s.

A sword glinted in the low light of the castle.

Instinct took over.

Victory or death. It was the way of Galra.

Or more accurately, it was the way of gladiators.

Shiro could almost hear the cheers of an audience. They’d love a fight like this, the Champion going unarmed against a skilled soldier. It was how executions were carried out. A riot almost started in the stands when Shiro survived his first one. Some thought he should be officially executed for killing a soldier, others wanted him to fight more for them. 

His claws unsheathed and he could feel the arena’s sand shift under his feet. Pain blossomed in his arm where the sword sliced into him, but flinching was a death wish.

Strike fast and guard his vitals. The rest of his body can heal later.

Snarling, he dug his claws into flesh. The armor didn’t leave much of an opening, but across species the neck was a reliably effective target. Bloody too. They loved it when there was a lot of blood. Shiro hated the way to clung to his fur at the end of the day. Maybe he’d get to bathe when this was over.

Shiro didn’t leave room for the soldier to answer him. Unmuzzled, his fangs joined the assault. He felt something pop and spray inside his mouth and over his face. It tasted like he would survive to see another battle, as disappointed as the audience would be. It was too fast, they liked it when fights were longer.

He dropped the body at his feet and spat out blood. It gurgled a little as blood continued to pour out of the tear in its neck and pool onto the cold metal beneath. Looking at it, Shiro once again wondered if he knew this Galra. He couldn’t place the name or face or scent, but that didn’t mean anything considering he tried his best to not remember his time under Sendak’s command. 

Shiro wiped at the blood on his face and then shook his head, trying to dislodge the hateful screams of and angry crowd from his mind. He could almost feel them throwing things at him in their frenzy. They weren’t real. He wasn’t there. Deep breaths.

Just as he pulled himself from his nightmares, something heavy and metal and sharp slammed down on his back. Shiro crumpled to the floor  with a cry, only to be hauled up again, toes barely grazing the ground. He choked on his breath the moment he heard that awful voice.

“How did you get here? You should still be in your cage,” Sendak mused coldly.

Shiro couldn’t stop himself from freezing up. His tail reflexively tried to hide itself out of sight. He wasn’t ready for this, he thought as he was thrown down the hall.

His body hit the wall with a hard, sickening thud that left him dazed, body falling to the floor like a rag doll. He coughed, he couldn’t get enough air in his lungs as he tried to scramble upright, his right arm barely moving from the impact. The most he managed was feebly scratching at the ground before Sendak stood in front of him. 

An armored foot came down to pin his arm to the floor, right where his pain was worst, and an involuntary whine escaped Shiro’s throat at the pressure.

“You’re just as pathetic as I remember.” Shiro couldn’t help himself from wilting. Sendak’s empty, apathetic gaze flicked over to the discarded corpse. “At least you learned something while you were away.”

Shiro bared his teeth with his ears pressed back against his head as tried to back away in vain, impulsively trying to get some distance between him and what was about to happen.

Sendak’s hand — no, it wasn’t a hand anymore, it was just a weapon —enveloped his entire forearm and Shiro flinched back, his arm tugging painfully.

“Is this one giving you trouble? I saw you favoring it when you killed Haxus.” Sendak’s grip tightened and something cracked.

“N-”

Shiro’s protest morphed into screaming as burning metal claws gouged into his arm just above his elbow. The smell of burning flesh assaulted his nose as he felt the muscle tear.

There was a pop.

Then a crack.

And the pain finally plunged Shiro into unconsciousness.

“You got it!” Allura cheered seconds before the barrier went down.

In an instant, Keith had his knife at the ready and he was charging the castle. Behind him, Allura continued to talk to Pidge, but Keith was blocking them out. He  _ needed _ to get to Shiro. He needed to make sure he was okay.

It was too silent. He only heard himself and Allura trailing behind him. No Sendak, no sentries or other soldiers. No Shiro either. Keith’s nerves were getting the better of him, with all sorts of awful scenarios playing in his head.

Please  _ please _ let Shiro be okay.

As Keith approached the bridge, he slipped and slid on something. He caught his balance at the last moment, but it was impossible not to see the dark splatters all over the floor and walls. A sickly smell hung in the air. A few more steps  and Keith would have tripped over something. He nudged it with his foot only to realize it was a body. 

Part of his mind recoiled from the site, but the other was relieved that it wasn’t Shiro. 

But did that mean that Shiro did this?

It wasn’t like Keith didn’t know what Shiro could do, but chills still tricked down his spine. His throat was torn out—blood sprayed onto the walls and pooled on the floor. There was so much that it’s what Keith nearly slipped on.

_ Some of it might be Shiro’s, too _ , Keith thought numbly. But he was nowhere to be seen.

A soft, startled gasp sounded further down the hall. Allura had past him while he was distracted. 

Keith shushed her harshly as he jogged over to see what could scare her more than this much blood. 

Under her foot was a severed  arm.

Horror gripped Keith’s heart like a pair of icy claws. It was gruesomely torn from the body and it no longer had a real discernible elbow. For some reason, the end was completely cauterised.

But.

Keith looked back at the body on the ground.

He had both his arms.

When Keith looked back, all the air was punched from his lungs and he had to turn away to vomit.

At the wrist, he saw a scarred halo right where shackles would rest.

That was Shiro’s arm.

Shiro…

Shiro was probably  _ dead _ .

But.

He couldn’t be…

He can’t…

He-

Allura was shaking his shoulder, pulling him from his waking nightmare. “Keith! Come on!”

Her voice sounded far away.

It wasn’t fair.

He couldn’t just be gone.

“ _ Keith! _ ”

Distantly, Keith heard a commotion in the bridge. It was enough to spring Keith back into motion.

At the very least, Sendak is there, Keith thought darkly.

Knife in hand, Keith charged onto the bridge. Pidge was there and he was screaming something at Sendak. Sendak looked frustrated that his plans had gone so awry.

And there was Shiro.

Slumped against a console right next to Sendak.

His arm was gone.

Keith only saw red as his body moved on its own.

Sendak whipped around when he heard his approach, but he was too late. Keith plunged his knife into his side, slicing past metal armor and embedding itself into flesh. The Galra howled in pain and his giant metal arm slammed into Keith, knocking him back across the room.

Gasping for breath, Keith saw Pidge take advantage of the opening Keith created and even Allura had joined in, somehow having acquired a polearm. Keith couldn’t help but feel impressed as he heaved himself up to his hands and knees.

He just needed a moment. One moment to check on Shiro. It wasn’t a far crawl. As he got closer, he saw that Shiro was more red than purple from blood. His right arm cut off midway through his upper arm and ended in a charred stump. Keith nearly started crying.

“Shiro?” Keith whispered. “Shiro please be alive.” Even to his own ears he could hear the fragility to his voice.

A wheeze answered him and Keith was ready to scream in joy. A wheeze meant he was breathing. “Keith?” Yellow and grey eyes met Keith’s and a smile spread across Shiro’s face and shined through the gore. “You’re okay.”

“Yeah,” Keith croaked, “I’m okay. And I’m going to help you, just hold on.”

“I’m not-”

Before Shiro could finish, his eyes widened, a horrified look overtaking his face. Keith had no warning as he was whirled around, dragged by Shiro as he rolled out of the way. He found himself clutched to Shiro’s heaving chest, only to be wrenched up by his shirt.

Keith found himself face to face with Sendak, fury displayed clear on is face.

“You little pest!” Sendak spat. 

Sendak raised his giant gauntlet and Keith braced himself for the pain.

Only to be dropped to the ground when something big bowled Sendak over.

Shiro clung to Sendak, his only claw violently digging into his neck and snarling. Bloodstained teeth glinted in the low light as they went for Sendak’s prosthetic eye. Animalistic shrieks filled the air and blood splattered as they brawled. 

They both fell to the ground, Shiro having toppled Sedak. But Keith saw something pass over Shiro’s face, something dark and brittle. It was enough hesitation for Sendak to strike. His gauntlet shot out and slammed Shiro into the ground. There was one last shriek, and Shiro was still.

Keith’s dread froze him in place.

Blood poured from Sendak’s empty eye socket and from the gash in his side. A guttural sound working its way out of this throat. He was speaking in a language Keith couldn’t understand. He didn’t care enough to understand.

Putting one foot in front of the other, Keith once again met Sendak with his blade. He wasn’t as lucky as last time, but he was at least able to hold his ground long enough for Pidge to join him.

As small as the bayard was, Keith marveled at how it was able to disrupt Sendak’s connection to his gauntlet. It made things easier. It was like he didn’t know how to fight without it.

Behind Allura was barking orders. Keith half listened, acting on instinct as he pushed Sendak back to where she wanted.

Sendak roared in rage when a barrier trapped him. Keith hated how he still held himself like he was fighting fit despite his gaping wounds. He pounded on the barrier, violently snarling at them.

Keith turned his back to him and jogged to Shiro.

He was still on the ground, his breaths rapid and shallow.

“Shiro?”

Shiro flinched away at Keith’s touch with a small whimper, but Keith persisted. He reached out and combed his fingers through Shiro’s hair, scratching him softly behind his ears. The whimpering continued but he seemed more receptive to the kind touch. 

In no time at all Keith found himself with Shiro’s head in his lap as he held him close, tears running down his cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope I still have some readers left after that long intermission. Kudos are always appreciated and now more than ever I could really use a comment. Even if you just leave an emoji or something in the comments, I just need to know if anyone is out there still reading after this.
> 
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